


The Search For Eternity

by Uthizaar



Series: The Other Roy Harper [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: ARGUS, Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Original, Alternative Lore, Crossover Pairings, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied Relationships, M/M, Metahumans, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Muscles, Oil, Original Character-centric, Past Relationship(s), Secrets, Spoilers, Superheroes, US Military, Villains, metahuman safe sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:29:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4153623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uthizaar/pseuds/Uthizaar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy has been away from the action for months now, moving on, trying to forget what happened with Oliver and Merlyn and Starling, trying not to hear the rumours about the fall of the great vigilante; the Arrow. But just because you run from the past doesn't mean it won't catch up with you. Hiding out in a metahuman's lake house seemed smart at the time. Now there's one on the front porch trying to get Roy to return to being a hero...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Renewal

Roy had just finished stacking up the wood for the fireplace when he heard the creak of timber, twisting his head quickly, he could have sworn he saw some dark shape pass by. Float by, even. He shook his head, dismissing the thought as he stood up and looked out the back window towards the lake shore. Nothing. He knelt down again, staring into the open hearth. It was as quiet now as it had been throughout these last few months. Not that he wasn’t aware of what had happened, well not the details exactly, but he had heard enough through his discreet contacts to know what Oliver had done, the choice he made. It had been one of the hardest things Roy had ever done; not the leaving part, the staying away part. The silence part, the not getting involved again part. To stand back, turn away and tell himself it wasn’t his fight anymore, he couldn’t go back, not with Merlyn’s death still so fresh in his mind. So he had ran and kept running, moving from place to place until the day he found a scrap of paper with numbers traced on it. A piece of paper that seemed like it had come to him an age ago. 

He remembered the moment he found it, wedged between the car seats. He had been parked in a truck-stop, watching the huge machines pulling in and moving out. The stares he had received as he sat on the hood of his car sipping the hot coffee; some wary of him, some curious, others…well he had been creeped out enough to get back inside and lock the doors, reaching across the seats to check his compact crossbow was still in the glove-box. That had spilled a pile of papers and folders all over the interior. Roy grumbled and picked them all up, reaching down into the crevices and between the seats until he had them all in a pile again, and that one scrap of paper held in his hand. He stared at it for a moment until he remembered the significance. That night, that moment when he had wanted to find answers from Onslaught, or Kyle, or whatever his name actually was, whatever the hell he had become... But that night, the night Oliver had come, in both senses of the word, the thought of finding the truth had flown away. Now though, now Roy wanted to know, wanted to understand why he kept being drawn back to this one man. What was it about Onslaught that just hooked him in?

So Roy had gone, travelled north until he came upon the area of the co-ordinates, a sleepy little village, Silver Springs, on the edges of a vast forest and bordered on two sides by a lake of such crystal clear water that Roy just stood and stared at it for almost an hour, enraptured by its beauty. He found the cabin easily enough; parked out of sight and in the gathering twilight, approached the building in his Arsenal armour, just in case the metahuman himself was in there. Such precautions proved useless however as the place was deserted. It wasn’t as if the cabin was run down exactly, just all the furniture was covered in dust cloths, the cupboards and pantry stocked with long lasting dry goods, while Roy got a shock when he opened the freezer; it looked like half a moose was chopped up inside, one frozen eye staring accusingly at him. Roy believed that it was some sort of safe-house Kyle had used before, maybe even belonged to him. But it wasn’t ARGUS, there was no high-tech computers or cameras or security systems. 

 

There was one bedroom that seemed different than the rest, it was only after a few weeks there that Roy found the hidden space behind the closet wall. It was taken up with a small wooden box. Roy had picked the lock to find it filled with faded photographs and a leather-bound journal written in a neat hand. He only had to look at the later pictures to realise this was in fact Kyle’s home, or at least the summer one. There he was, standing side by side with his brothers and sister, another when he had just come out of the lake, water drops on his already muscular form, must have been sixteen or seventeen then. Recent enough, Roy thought, even though the grinning young man he was looking at in the photographs was nothing like the man he knew either as a human or a metahuman; there had always been something in his manners, in the careful way he spoke that Roy knew he was holding back. But it certainly looked like there were many happy memories here. 

Roy had lingered over one shot in particular; young Kyle was sitting on the jetty, shorts wet and body glistening in the setting sun. The photographer must have been standing in the water as the house was behind him, windows turned to sheets of bronze as the sun sunk low in the sky. But it was the other teenager beside Kyle that had Roy’s attention. The two of them were sitting close, bodies touching as the other one reached for what was obviously his boyfriend’s hand. The teenager wasn’t in any of the other pictures in the box, so not a sibling or casual friend. It was the expressions on their faces, captured perfectly as one was laughing and the other looked at him with a gentle smile on his features. Roy felt a pang of agony as he looked at the photo, not because Kyle was with this guy, but because it made Roy think about him and Oliver, feeling his eyes well up, even if the tears never came. It just…why couldn’t they have met some other way? If they had found each other like those two young guys in the photo, so happy and comfortable together. If they could have sat on a jetty like that, looking over such a beautiful lake, a moment so perfect captured for eternity. 

Roy stopped searching for the cabin’s past after that. He didn’t want to bring up any more memories or reminders of what could have been. Instead he focused on keeping his skills honed, on practicing his archery in the quiet woods behind the cabin, on his sword forms in the purple twilight of evening, on the solemn lessons Merlyn had taught him in that brief period, on the hard truths he had received from Oliver over the two years. And he spent a lot of time sitting on the end of the jetty, looking out at the clear smooth water, watching as the cloudless skies turned from blue to black, with the vastness of the cosmos spilled across the roof of the world above him and reflected in the glassy water. There were no city lights out here, even the blinking lights of Silver Springs didn’t dim the galaxy’s nightly show. Roy loved lying back on the jetty or the soft grass and staring up at it. At first it was because living in the city his whole life he had never seen the stars clearly before. But then he did it because it reminded him of Onslaught’s kaleidoscope eyes, the essence of the stars burning through that stare of his.

 

Roy straightened up from his kneeling position by the hearth. He had heard it again, a soft rustling of the tree branches from the open window by the forest’s entrance. But it was calm today and a quick glance across the sitting room to the opposite window showed the tree branches unmoving. Roy moved quietly towards the nearby cupboard, opening it and reaching in for his sword. He pulled it out and advanced across the wooden floorboards, pausing at the door. Taking a quick breath Roy yanked the door open and jumped out onto the decking, sword held menacingly in front of him. 

Nothing. 

Roy sighed, muttering, ‘Idiot.’ There was a quiet snigger and the former hero looked up to see a man standing with his back turned to him at the edge of the lake. Roy was about to speak, but then paused, examining the stranger, his seemingly normal clothes, the cap on his head obscuring his face. But there was something off about him, Roy glanced back to see the branches still again. He frowned, sheathing his sword and placing it on the nearby table, then approached the man.

He stood at the end of the short wooden jetty by the crystal clear lake. Roy walked slowly up to him, he wasn’t sure, but he thought it might be him, no, not Oliver, he was too busy becoming evil incarnate, if the rumours Roy had been hearing were anything to go by. Roy stopped behind the man, eying his sturdy cargo pants and dark green jacket, unzipped, hands buried in his coat pocket.

‘Kyle?’

He turned around, smile tugging at his lips, his tanned face and spiralling eyes just like they were that last night Roy saw him. He grinned then, ‘Yeah, it’s me. In the flesh.’ 

‘Where’s…’ Roy trailed off, frowning. ‘How’d you find me?’ 

‘It took a while, you’re hard to locate.’ He turned away again, looking over the stillness of the lake, the trees becoming bare in the cool autumn day. ‘Well, at least until an old friend in Silver Springs told me about the young man staying at my cabin, the one who keeps to himself and was,’ he chuckled to himself, ‘very attractive. I figured it’d be you.’

‘Uh, thanks.’ Roy swallowed, slightly flustered by Kyle’s sudden arrival. ‘I guess I should thank you really, I wasn’t completely sure this was your place.’

‘Oh yes, I used to come here a lot in the summer vacation. Less after I joined ARGUS, but something about this place, the stillness I think, always draws me back.’ He looked out at the water again before adding, ‘I’m glad you found it.’

Roy walked over to stand beside him, ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but…’

‘Why am I here? Yeah. I heard rumours about what happened in Starling, to both you and the man that was once the Arrow.’

‘That was months ago.’

‘I…was detained. Not by ARGUS or anyone else. I merely had to deal with...an issue.’

Roy frowned at him; he was being evasive again, as usual. The archer avoided asking the obvious question, however. ‘Have you heard anything new about Oliver? I lost track of him after he agreed to Ra’s request.’

Kyle nodded, ‘There was an attack, overkill really; he had already decided to join the League, pushed and pulled until there was nowhere else for him to go. Thea was…killed.’ Roy stared at him and the metahuman quickly continued, ‘For a short time at least. But it cemented Oliver’s decision: Ra’s returned life to Thea through arcane methods I have not yet been able to confirm and Oliver let him. Did he know what horrors that one decision would unleash? Probably not.’ Kyle added as an afterthought.

‘What do you mean?’

The metahuman frowned as though he didn’t want to answer, he hadn’t come here for this. ‘Oliver, he’s always the hero who choses one life over thousands, huh,' he snorted and whispered the last words to the still air, 'some hero...'

Roy said nothing for a while, remembering that night, that terrible, brutal fight. ‘What happened to him?’ Kyle stared at the lake as he continued his story, telling Roy about the ascension of the new Demon’s Head, the things Oliver had done, the lengths he had gone to until he was pulled back from the brink. He said all these things as the wind picked up around them and the branches shook the trees in a storm, showering them with leaves.

 _Al Sah-him_ , the words sent a shiver down Roy's back, as Kyle muttered them without emotion, even if his face was hard as iron, the word 'traitor' could have just as easily been said. But then his face softened as he turned to Roy, 'But of course, that's only half the story.'

'Meaning?'

'You don't know?'

Roy shrugged. 'Tell me everything.'

'The Arrow might be gone, but so too is the Demon’s Head. The Arrow never took his place with them. The last I heard from my sources in Starling, Oliver Queen has gone into exile. With a female companion.’

‘Huh?’ Roy shook his head, ‘But…but…’

‘You told me once that Oliver had only ever dated women, that your feelings for him would never be realised. He might have changed a little because of you, but he’s still-‘

‘Enough.’ Roy cut him off. ‘Why are you here? Why all the talk about Oliver?’

Kyle took a breath and looked Roy in the eye, ‘Because you fought him, and lost. Because when I heard what that _hero_ had done, I wanted to find him and crush his molecules into nothing!’

Roy blinked, ‘What? You can do that?’ 

‘And worse.’ Kyle growled at him and Roy glanced around as the air went completely still, the twirling leaves frozen in motion as gravity itself was stalled. 

‘You didn’t?’

‘I wanted to.’ Kyle clenched his fists and breathed deeply, eyes closed as the leaves fell and Roy moved closer, laying a careful hand on his shoulder. ‘But I didn’t. The Arrow still lives, although I’m not sure if he keeps that name. It doesn’t matter.’

‘You’re not here to bring me back in?’

‘No. I was going to, but I can see that you’re ok here.’ He sighed, moving away from him and towards the lake. His voice had changed a little during his flare of anger, almost back to that robotic tone Onslaught had. Kyle stopped as he came to the end of the jetty and looked back at Roy. ‘It took me a while to get a handle on what I can do. Took me even longer to hold onto myself, not get consumed entirely by Onslaught. It probably would have been easier though, to just let go, drift away, and give him my mind as well as my body.’

‘So you still have your abilities, right?’

‘Yes. I can just call on them when I want to now, not be overwhelmed.’ There was a long pause and then he spoke again. ‘Oh Roy, I’m sorry.’ Kyle sat down on the jetty’s edge, feet dangling just above the water’s edge. Roy looked at him strangely before joining him, side by side, his mind remembering the photograph from Kyle’s room. He licked his lips before speaking softly.

‘You’re not ok.’

‘I did something, something terrible. Beyond terrible; let loose a cascade of evil.’ He looked across the water, raising a hand and creating a ripple without even touching the liquid. Kyle glanced at Roy who nodded encouragingly. ‘When I was with ARGUS, we had a plan to devise and construct a device to control and destroy metahumans. Those who posed a threat, of course. I knew deep down however, that was just the excuse. It always is. But I made it work, tested the device and refined it and tweaked it until it was the perfect weapon. That which could destroy any one of us: the Sun Killer.’

‘I know that name…’ Roy looked at him. ‘But you’re a metahuman, you betrayed your own kind?’

‘Yeah, I guess so. The Sun Killer was just the name I gave it: as though it was a weapon that could destroy the furious power of the stars themselves. Foolish.’ He sighed, manipulating the water in front of him into a tiny whirlpool. ‘I didn’t know at the time. And I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need your help. I split the weapon chamber into four parts once I realised what I was, who I was. I was discovered before I had a chance to hide the parts. But recently there was an opportunity to break into ARGUS and take them back. They've moved them all over the country, never able to rebuild it, but I was lucky enough to steal one part and hack their network. However they’ve been after me ever since. The General has another part and the other went out to a research facility near here. The final part is still missing, but I must recover them all. And I need help. Please Roy, there’s no one else I can trust.’ He finished, turning to look Roy in the eye.

Roy licked his lips, suddenly nervous at the expression on Kyle’s face. He had seen a whole range of emotions cross that handsome visage, but never this, never fear. He broke the gaze, looking out at the disturbed waters of the lake and sighed. ‘You want me to go back? Come on, Kyle, I just left Starling!’

‘I know. That’s why we’re not going to Starling City.’ He grinned lightly, ‘I hear you and the Flash get along well!’

‘Oh.’ Roy looked away from him completely, feeling a wave of heat spread up his neck and across his face. But Kyle didn’t seem to notice, just stopped his effects on the water. He stood up as Roy glanced back at him, seeing his expression change once again. The next time he spoke there was an edge to his voice.

‘There’s a storm incoming, we’ll be here for a few days. Besides we need to plan. It will not be easy to wrest control of the parts from those who currently have them. I already have an idea about how we’re going to get the first part and I’ll need to brief you.’ He reached down and grasped Roy’s bare forearm, the touch firing up those old feelings again. The metahuman looked towards the house as Roy leaned towards him.

‘Is that all we’re gonna do?’ He asked, feeling his cheeks heat again. Kyle looked at him and laughed, sounding much like his old self.

‘I’ve missed you Roy Harper!’


	2. Pieces in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which plans are made, Roy is satisfied and OMC insights are given.

The storm battered against the cabin windows, rain and hail and wind. It had come up the valley suddenly, unlike anything Roy had seen before, but the locals were well prepared and it seemed Kyle had borne witness to many of them, placing shutters on the windows and checking supplies as Roy carried in his gear from the car. Boxes and crates filled with heavy equipment now occupied the third bedroom. The living room had become a command center; monitors linked into machines stored in the steel cases Roy had brought in earlier. They beeped and whirred, lights flashing as the screens were filled with scrolling text and numbers. Seeing Kyle hunched over the monitors scanning the data reminded him of Felicity’s work station in the Arrowcave. Happier days.

They had spent almost two days planning and talking, and even though Roy thought it would be awkward, it wasn’t. It was as if Kyle/Onslaught didn’t even notice Roy's nerves when he started talking about recovering the parts of the weapon. Roy figured that being responsible for the greatest threat to your species would occupied his mind more than their past intimacy. But still, there was something else there. He noticed it most when Kyle’s eyes sparkled brightly and his voice shifted; Roy knew then he was speaking to Onslaught. There wasn’t any liquid metal like before, or any of the other metahuman abilities, just the voice, the change in emotion, the single-mindedness of the plan: 'Find the pieces, get the pieces, and let nothing stand in our way.' As for the details, well…

‘You can’t be serious?’ Roy asked as Onslaught watched him unblinking. ‘Star Labs? You really want to break into their HQ and steal back the highly unstable "weapon chamber" from the high security vault in the basement?!’

‘Yes. That is what I said.’ He paused for a moment, looking into the searing embers of the fire. ‘It is not so unstable, it merely requires constant submersion in near absolute zero liquid in order to keep it from detonating.'

Roy opened his mouth to argue but then shook his head instead, 'And I suppose you have that liquid?'

'But of course,' Onslaught nodded solemnly at him, 'I would not risk your safety. However my knowledge of the situation in Central City is outdated. I will need you to scout the area, see what the Flash has been up to-‘

‘Yeah, the Flash!’ Roy interrupted, ‘You really think he’s going to let you waltz in and take what you want?’

‘Perhaps if you explained…’

If he explained… as if that would help things. The last time Roy had met the Flash he tried to kiss him. A stupid, confused, frustrated attempt. He blushed whenever he thought about it, the shame of it gnawing at his stomach; it wasn’t even as if he could blame being drunk. Onslaught had ignored him though, talking about mortal danger and his responsibility to help them. ‘It would be easier if he did not resist us.’

‘Yeah, ok, maybe.’ Roy shrugged. ‘So you want me to talk to him first?’

Onslaught inclined his head. ‘Indeed, it would be most...unfortunate if he got in the way.’ Roy shivered at the tone the metahuman had adopted for that particular sentence and hurriedly agreed to meet the Flash. However ashamed he felt about their last interaction, he didn’t want to put Barry in any danger: Onslaught sounded as though it would only be a minor inconvenience to ‘deal with him.’ 

‘And where will you be?’

He gestured to one of the screens, a satellite image updating periodically, ‘There. The General is in that military base. Scouting only.’

‘If he’s there, why not just grab it?’

Onslaught studied him before answering, ‘Once we begin to recover the weapon fragments he will know what I seek and try to assemble it before I get to him. His piece is critical, without it the core won’t fire.’

‘Does he have a name?’

‘Montgomery. I never bothered to learn his first name.’ Onslaught turned to look at the darkness outside. ‘The storm is over. You should rest. There is much to do tomorrow.’ 

Roy nodded and stood up, lingering as the metahuman sat still, before moving away, ‘Goodnight…Kyle.’

He waited until Roy’s door had shut before closing his eyes, stars colliding and blinked them open. ‘Goodnight, Roy.’ Kyle whispered back.

 

They didn't talk about it, even though Roy knew Kyle had heard him, knew by the delicate pause before the metahuman asked how he slept, the same question every day for the three days he'd been here; an old habit Roy remembered from those nights he did stay over in Kyle's apartment. The first night he jerked off silently, not afraid exactly, but not wanting the other man to hear him. The second night was the same; silent, pounding a quick release, not really wanting to do it, but still it released some of the stress, the nerves, the anger. Because every time he started to spurt his cum all over his smooth toned chest it was Oliver freaking Queen in his mind's eye. And he both hated and loved that moment. Hated that he still wanted to feel Oliver's thick hard cock buried inside him, like it had been so many months ago, for all too brief a time. But loved it because of that image, the remembered sensation, that yearning, that desire to be fucked again, to have someone thrusting into him like there was no tomorrow, to just be pounded like nothing else mattered and no matter how hard Roy jerked off, he could never quite get the satisfaction he was looking for. Not even when he desperately fingered himself imagining it was Oliver's hands, teasing, thrusting, gentle at first, as the man had been, until Roy lost himself in the sensations it caused him, his naked body twisting and groaning on the sheets, sweat running in sweet rivers down that smooth chest, his arms flexing as he pushed and pulled, rubbed and stroked, moaning words that barely made sense and then for the first time in months it wasn't Oliver's cool stare or hard, scarred body Roy saw when he spurted all over his chest. It was the handsome face of the metahuman next door, the smile that lit up the room on those rare occasions he let it out, the tanned muscular body of the man who was truly his first. Roy rode that orgasm, not realising he was moaning Kyle's name in his ecstasy until he lay panting, sweating, on the bed, cum covered and spent. He rested there, trying to get his breath back, glorying in the first good jerk off he'd had in months. There was a slight rustle from the room next to him and Roy felt his cheeks heat further. 

But of course they didn't talk about it. Well, they almost didn’t.

 

'Broken from your nightmares?'

'What?' Roy looked at him confused. 'I don't have bad dreams.'

'Huh, that wasn't what I meant. I, uh, I heard you moving about last night. Talking, quietly. I thought...' 

Roy avoided his gaze, but saw the hint of a grin on the metahuman's face, so it was Kyle he was speaking to. 'Uh, well, it wasn't a bad dream...wasn't a dream at all.'

Roy felt Kyle looking at him, standing as they were on the decking outside the cabin, mist rolling across the lake, the storm long since abated. Roy nibbled on his lips until he felt the other man place a hand on his neck, turning his head gently until they were looking into each other's eyes, one ordinary, the other a world of churning stars. Roy licked his lips, knowing what was about to happen, but unable to be the one to do it, unable to make the connection and let this be the start of something new, something different. So Kyle did it for him, pulling him a little closer until their foreheads touched and Roy reached out to put his hand on Kyle's waist to steady himself, unnecessarily as it turned out. The metahuman's eyes flared for a brief second and Roy felt suddenly lightless. But before he had time to question it, his mouth was pressed tight against another, warms lips joined together, feeling that tell-tale jolt in his stomach as Kyle wrapped his hands more possessively around him and deepened the kiss; their mouths parting and tongues battling for dominance. He resisted for a moment, but then Roy let the emotions sweep him up and away. 

Kyle shoved him onto the bed after roughly pulling off Roy’s clothes, gravity stabilising as he felt Onslaught loosen his control, as though the metahuman part of him fell asleep while the human part was awake. But it didn’t matter too much as he saw Roy looking at him, hungry for the contact.

‘You been up here alone, all by yourself?’

‘Yeah. I thought that was the point; get away from it all.’ Roy answered as Kyle unzipped his hoodie and threw it to one side. His shirt quickly joined it and then his pants and briefs until he too was naked. Their cocks rose quickly from half-mast as they gazed at each other’s strong smooth bodies. Roy licked his lips, breath coming fast as Kyle knelt over him, close enough to run his fingers lightly across his torso and up his neck. Then he rested his body on top of Roy’s; the moment of their connection glorious and Roy moaned in pleasure; their hard cocks rubbing against each other. They grinded eagerly against each other as Kyle captured Roy’s mouth in his own, kissing him deep and hard, just like the first time. And just like that first night, Roy forgot about everything and just concentrated on the feeling of Kyle’s thick tongue invading his warm wet mouth, of the tingle it sent all the way down his spine to his quivering cock as it pressed against the other. 

‘Mmmmh!’ Roy moaned against him wordlessly making his lips sizzle as he reached his hands up to pull Kyle tighter onto him, kissing harder, grinding faster. Kyle pulled apart a little, loving the way Roy’s cheeks flushed and followed the reddened skin down his neck to his chest, licking and kissing his way across that perfect face until he had Roy mewling and quivering beneath him, attacking his neck and ear lobe, catching him just right in the spot where his jaw connected. Roy whispered his name endlessly as Kyle continued to kiss him there, breathless as he stopped and switched sides, gasping a little when he felt the barest prick of teeth against his sensitive skin. He let his head fall back and gave himself up to the feelings.

But even the pleasure waned after a while and Roy whispered for Kyle to stop. The man looked at him strangely, ‘What? Something wrong? You sounded like you enjoyed it.’

‘I did, I mean I am. It’s just…’ He paused unsure how to ask for what he really wanted.

‘Is it Oliver?’

‘What? No, of course not!’ Roy answered quickly as Kyle frowned at him. ‘Look, I...I just want you to fuck me.’

‘Uh,’ Kyle started, taken aback by Roy’s unusual bluntness. But before he could continue Roy stopped him, hands raised.

‘No, please, just fuck me. Hard, like there’s nothing else going on. Like that first time you and I were together. Please.’ He watched Kyle’s face carefully as the metahuman glanced away from him. ‘Kyle?’

‘Yeah, ok.’ He whispered back softly. Then he looked up at Roy and grinned swiftly, 'just remember tomorrow when your ass is sore that you asked for it!’

‘Hehe, yeah ok.’ Roy smiled back, before Kyle lunged at him, taking him off-guard, kissing him hard, fast, rough enough to make Roy try to fight for control, but failing as Kyle pulled him on top of his torso, their positions reversed. Roy pulled away from the kiss, a hiss of enjoyment cutting across his tongue. He slid his hand to the back of Kyle's head, drawing the man's lips into his neck once more as he arched up, cock moving against the metahuman’s hard abs as he straddled him eagerly, feeling his thick cock slip under him, rubbing softly at his ass crease. He felt the almost painful edge of Kyle's teeth graze the sensitive skin at his neck even as his hands worked to cup Roy’s tight firm cheeks. He moaned as Kyle forced him up, on hand splayed out to fit snuggly under his body, the other moving back to run up and down Roy’s sweating body, fingers lingering on his hard pecs to tease and flick against his nipples.

Then there was a slight pressure as Kyle hungrily pressed his finger into Roy’s tight hole, the sudden unlubed entry causing the archer to tense and then gasp before settling on to the digit, eking it further in, wanting it this raw, needing to feel the pain mingle with his pleasure as he gritted his teeth. Kyle flexed the finger and Roy moaned louder, grinding up and around to get more of the intruder into his tight aching hole. ‘Uh, uh, oh! Oh yeah, oh yes, right there! Oh fuck Kyle!’ Roy whispered breathlessly against Kyle’s hair as he continued to assault his neck and ass. He could feel the finger slipping in and out, teasing the interior of his ass. Kyle moaned in return as he felt Roy’s cock chub up and drool on his chest. He couldn't wait to get at that hardening muscle, to run his tongue along its length. Kyle brought his lips away from Roy's neck and slowly slid his finger out of the man's warm flesh. Roy moaned at the loss as the thickness left the entrance of his ass, sending a twitch through his pelvis.

Roy was about to question him, when the metahuman grinned evilly and twisted his hand sharply. Before he knew what had happened Roy found himself flipped onto his back with Kyle floating horizontally above him. ‘Handy.’ He muttered as Kyle continued grinning, before releasing his command of the gravity field and dropping back down to land between Roy’s open legs. A chill ran up his back as Kyle's tongue slid across the smooth muscles of his inner thigh. He inhaled sharply as teeth closed around the tender flesh there before turning into softer kisses, causing Roy to collapse into unrestrained moaning. Pulling his mouth away with a small pop, his eyes found their way to the sexy pair of balls that hung between Roy’s thighs. Roy's cock bounced on his stomach as Kyle's tongue darted under his balls, pulling one of the round fleshy orbs into his warm mouth.

‘Oh yeah! Ah, oh my god!’ Roy gasped as the hungry wet mouth worked it ways around his balls. This was more intense than anything he had ever felt, and still Kyle wasn’t finished with him yet.

He pushed Roy’s thighs wider and slipped his hands under the backs of his legs. He pressed them upward into the other man's stomach revealing the smooth tight curve of his ass. Kyle spread the crease of the flesh there, excited by the sight of the delicate pink ring. He could feel his own cock twitch in approval as he lowered his mouth to the tensing muscle. Roy screwed his face up in surprise as the metahuman did something he had never experienced before. Kyle paused and glanced up at him, showing his tongue coated in the grey liquid metal of his metahuman form. ‘Don’t worry, completely safe. Plus I’m pretty sure you’ve never felt something like this!’

‘Ugh, no.’

‘Enjoy!’ Kyle grinned at him and moved back down. Roy squirmed, short moans leaving his throat between breaths, as the strangely warm and wet feeling of a tongue worked against his hole.

‘Oh fuck, Kyle! Mmmmm!’ Roy exclaimed as the man sank his face feverishly into the sensitive area, his wet mouth was sliding around the flexible muscle franticly.

When he finally felt Roy was loose enough, Kyle pulled back and waited for him to nod. ‘Do it! Please! Fuck me!’

‘Gladly!’

Roy turned onto his stomach as he watched the metallic armour that Kyle used as Onslaught ooze out from his skin and form around his cock. ‘Guess you save on condoms, huh?’

‘It’s a blessing.’ He winked, ‘Lube too.’

Roy gasped eagerly as he felt Kyle’s hands on his ass, pulling the cheeks open again and grasping his hips a little harder than expected. There was a pause as the two of them locked eyes and Roy nodded again. Kyle fingered him gently this time, glorying in the feeling of Roy’s tight ass; it was warm and ready, begging to welcome his cock into its pleasurable interior. Kyle smiled at Roy's closed eyes and parted lips before using his muscular legs to force his length into the tight space.

‘Ah!’ Roy moaned loudly at the sudden entry. ‘Mmmmh!’

 

Kyle began to fuck Roy, using his leverage to slide his dick further into the hot cushion of flesh. He would bring it out to the tip before diving deeply again, which set the pronounced ridge that ran along the underbelly of his cock abuzz from the repeated motion. He was starving for release. After almost an hour of teasing and playing with Roy he wanted the climax, to have Roy moving and groaning against him again. He began to speed up, fingers digging into Roy’s ass as he pulled the young man off and on his raging cock. Hearing his moans just drove him harder, fucking with wild abandon, the scent of sex and sweat mixing together as Roy rolled his head back, arching up and grinded against him, as though eager, desperate for more, for everything, anything, to just get him to his place of pure, unrelenting pleasure.

Roy's body was wracked in waves of divine delight as the metahuman fucked him hard and fast. The unceasing torrents of electricity that rode along his nerves drove his own cock into a frenzy of activity. It was like a dam inside of his body was filling up with nowhere to spill over. ‘Unh.’ Roy breathed, panting as Kyle continued to hammer away maddeningly inside his quivering muscles, his hand reaching under him to start jerking himself off. But he soon found he didn’t have too; his cum-slick cock was there on its own. Instead he just lost himself in the rough pounding he was getting from behind, the sounds of gasping and moaning echoing around the slap of flesh on flesh.

‘Ah, god!’ Roy shouted as Kyle pushed even deeper. ‘Fuck! I’m cumming! I cumming! Oh my, oh god, oh, oh, uh, uh, ugh! Yes!’ He closed his eyes as he felt the head of Kyle’s cock shudder and expand in his tight aching hole. 

‘Ah!’ Kyle yelled as his cock went over the edge and exploded into a mind-numbing wave of pleasure through his body. The metallic sheath couldn’t hold the cum inside and forced it back, dripping against Roy’s tender ass cheeks, the sensation adding another layer of pleasure to his orgasm. Kyle reached around and grabbed Roy’s slimy cock, jerking it quickly as he finished riding the wave of pleasure.

‘Oh! Fuck.’ Roy moaned as he was jerked off. ‘Fuck me, Kyle, I forgot how good you are at this…’

Roy began to moan loudly, pushed as far as he could stand as Kyle twisted his cum covered shaft and worked his expert fingers on the swollen head. It was more than Roy could stand. He moaned one last long wordless groan as his cock exploded all over his chest and the bed; his balls squeezed tightly in their fleshy sac.

‘Ahhhh!’ Roy cried out as he came, before collapsing onto the bed, feeling Kyle finally pull out of him and fall down beside him. He grinned at the metahuman sighed.

'That was so fucking hot, I...fuck.'

‘Fuck.' Kyle echoed, 'That was intense. Good enough?’

‘I’m so sore.’ Roy mumbled, ‘but that was the best I’ve had since Oliver.’

‘Huh.’ 

‘Uh, I mean-‘

‘It’s fine: we both wanted it.’ His voice was hard to read and Roy raised himself up on one elbow.

‘Kyle?’

The metahuman’s eyes flared once and Roy heard the unmistakeable change in tone as Onslaught reasserted himself. ‘My body is tired. I must sleep.’ He hesitated before adding, ‘Thank you.’ His breathing was still heavy and he turned over, utterly spent as Roy looked up at the ceiling, coming down from the exertion, brows knitting together as he ran those last few words over in his mind, searching for some hidden meaning.

 

With his eyes closed, Kyle looked like any other twenty-something, Roy thought as he watched the metahuman sleep; his muscular form moving in time to whatever dreams his mixed mind could conjure. He reminded Roy of the hot college frat boys he used to look at online when he was still discovering who he was. The type of hunk who was straight acting enough that all the girls hit on him, but any gay guy would know he played for their team. Roy sighed, so much for that fantasy. But still, he mused as he turned onto his side to snuggle up against the surprisingly warm back of the metahuman, he had wanted this to happen. Wanted it from the moment Kyle or Onslaught (whichever) had turned up on the jetty, wanted to jump his bones right then. But the mission came first, as ever with the ex-ARGUS agent: his mission was all consuming. He had told Roy to be ready to move out tomorrow, Central City called, as did the first piece of his doomsday weapon.

 

Onslaught hung weightlessly twenty feet from the ground, a seamless dark grey shadow against the cloudless night sky. Anderson Air Force Base sprawled out before him; the blinking rows of lights along the runways offset by the twinkling of taxiing jets. He studied the low squat buildings at the center of the base, ringed by their own perimeter fence and watch-towers. The compound was brightly lit and well-guarded with regular patrols of soldiers. He had been here for almost an hour, watching closely, having separated from Roy as he drove in towards Central City. They hadn’t spoken much after their last conversation, just arose, showered and armoured up. He had felt the archer watch him as he dressed only in light fitting cotton trousers, before letting the liquid neutronium armour cover his entire body, the water-like surface reflecting the light dully. 

His head snapped to one side as he spotted his target; a lone scientist walking away from the compound towards the housing area. Onslaught dropped the gravity field for a second before restoring it, using the momentum of the fall to skim him across the outer walls and towards the scientist. He stopped above her as she too slowed her pace, frowning as though something was amiss. She looked up slowly, her mouth dropping in surprise, fumbling for her phone as she did so. But it was too late as Onslaught extended a hand and a torrent of liquid metal shot out and wrapped around her body, lifting her up to his height. He closed his eyes to concentrate on holding them both aloft; not letting the gravity field weaken around them. Outwardly however the metal liquid kept him anonymous.

‘I seek the Star Flux, the firing mechanism for the weapon. You know of what I speak, Myra.’

She starred at him for a moment before comprehension dawned, ‘Kyle? Is that…are you in there?’

Onslaught gripped her tighter, ‘Answer my questions and you will live! Is the General here?’

‘Yes, yes, he arrived tonight.’ Myra gasped out, pressure building on her ribcage. ‘He has it, I saw the Flux, passed it onto the team for testing.’

‘Huh. Sooner than expected. Where?’

‘You won’t get to it.’ 

‘I could rip you apart with a single thought; increase the gravity field of this compound until the very buildings crumble into dust; nothing short of a nuclear star can stop me!’ He growled at her, but she just shook her head.

‘You don’t understand. The stasis field generator is working, your designs helped us, whoever you are, whatever you are.’ The scientist glared at him defiantly. ‘It took months of calibration but the Flux is secure behind the shields, no metahuman can breach them.’

Onslaught snarled and released his hold on her gravity field, sending her tumbling to the ground, her shrieks ignored. He flicked his hand a second before impact and broke the fall, letting the scientist collapse into the mud instead. ‘Stasis fields?’ He muttered, feeling dizzy as the human part of him, Kyle, searched his memories for the machines. Onslaught let himself recede and Kyle glanced around the still silent base, the woman on the ground still a little dazed. ‘Damn it.’ He muttered and glanced towards the compound, ‘Another time, then.’ Propelling himself away from the base, he had floated over the entry gate when a shrill alarm sounded behind him. He smiled briefly before setting course for Central City; its lights bright on the horizon.

 

Roy slowed to a stop outside the brightly lit, if still damaged Star Labs, craning his neck to look up at the top of it. He wondered why they hadn’t repaired it, after all it wasn’t as if Dr Wells was lacking money; he had Star Labs facilities all over the country. Still…it served as a good place for superheroes to hide out, and Roy was pretty sure that Barry was there. Even though it was a different city, it still worked the same as Starling; someone always knew something. Onslaught had told him that rumours had been swirling about the Flash having gone missing, although he had said it in an almost hopeful voice. Roy wasn’t surprised; he didn’t fancy having to go up against a speedster. Again. But after a few hours and arrow-points later here he was, with information from three sources that the Flash was still in town. He had considered calling Onslaught then, but Roy could almost see the blank, if questioning, stare that the metahuman would give him. So he sighed and turned off the engine, stepping out of the car.

Roy walked around towards the loading dock, the same place he had been, the last time he had been here with Oliver. Those memories seemed like so long ago now; so much had happened in between; death, betrayal, realisation. He slowed his pace and came to a stop in the empty cargo bays, his bow strapped to his back, one hand resting on Merlyn’s sword, the other hanging loosely by his side. There was someone here, Roy could feel their stare on him. But of course the Flash wouldn’t know him in his new armour. He reached up and pulled off the ash grey hood and mask, standing revealed. There was a sudden zip of sound and when Roy turned around the Flash was looking at him, the same tight suit, and the same boyish grin on his face. 

There was a pause as they studied each other, Barry looking at him with what seemed confusion, while Roy just waited for the inevitable question. He didn’t have to wait long. 

‘You look different, Arsenal!’ Barry said, zipped quickly around the archer, as though examining him from different angles. ‘I uh, heard you and Oliver…went different ways.’

‘You could say that.’ Roy replied carefully.

‘So that’s the reason for the new suit? Looks good on you, even if it’s a bit more...uh-‘

‘Baggy?’ Roy asked, brow quirked, thinking he saw Barry turn red, but the speedster darted around him again, generating enough of a gust for Roy’s cloth armour segments to twirl and reveal their red undercurrents. Barry stopped in front of him, a little too close, before standing back, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as he did so. Roy felt a steel hand grip his stomach and he suppressed the feeling, now was not the time. Barry grinned at him and nodded appreciatively.

‘Yeah, it’s loose, but still red! I like it.’ He glanced from side to side as Roy copied him, wariness in his movements.

‘What is it?’

‘Nothing, I was just…’ He trailed off, as Roy grinned slyly.

‘Checking we’re alone?’ Barry swallowed and Roy continued, ‘So are we?’

‘I, um, yeah, just us.’

‘Good. I need to talk to you.’ He looked around again, ‘can we go inside?’

Barry nods, ‘Sure. We’ll be alone in there too.’ He paused as Roy smirked at him, ‘Uh, I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘Right. After you, Flash.’

 

Barry brought Roy to the balcony overlooking the charred and broken remains of the particle accelerator and they lingered there, as Roy talked about Oliver and Merlyn and what had happened between them. He didn’t speak much, except to ask for clarification, preferring to let Roy talk. It sounded like he hadn’t told anyone about the fight with the Arrow, about Merlyn dying in his arms, about the sense of betrayal and hurt that just seemed to ooze out of him. Barry wasn’t expecting Roy to talk about it with him, it felt kind of strange to hear all these personal things from someone he only met twice. But at the same time he felt a sort of connection between them; not like the one he shared with Oliver, the whole hero of the city thing, but a more personal, social type of bond. The type of thing that made it seem like they had known each other for years. Perhaps this was why he pulled Roy towards him in an awkward half hug that caught the archer by surprise. He was rigid for a moment before reacting, accepting Barry’s pat on the back and sympathetic smile. Roy thought he saw something else in that gaze but he quickly squashed it; the speedster had made clear he wasn't interested _that_ way when they last met and Roy wasn’t eager to make things weird again. He felt a vibration by his neck; Onslaught’s communicators were smaller than he was used to and sent much of the information non-verbally. One buzz followed by two longer ones: he was nearing Star Labs based on their arranged signals.

‘Hey, Barry, ah, thanks for this; showing me around and stuff.’ He turned for the exit and the Flash walked with him.

‘Uh, sure Arsenal. Anytime.’

Roy walked in silence, speaking only when they re-emerged into the cool night air. ‘I’m not so sure I can call myself that anymore. Arsenal died the moment I put this armour on.’

‘He is still a part of you, don’t give up on it just yet!’ A voice boomed out from the darkness and the two men looked up as the silvery grey form of Onslaught descended gracefully to hover just above them. Barry starred at him, dropping into a fighting stance, before glancing over to Roy, brow furrowed.

‘Wait, do you know him?’

‘Yeah. Onslaught.’ Roy nodded at the other metahuman. ‘We’ve…worked together before.’

‘Indeed.’ Onslaught turned to face Barry full on. ‘Do you not remember me?’

Barry frowned again, before calling up to him. ‘I think I would.’

Onslaught released the gravity field surrounding him and landed softly onto the ground, letting his head portion recede into the rest of the twisting silver liquid covering his body. Barry tilted his head as he finally remembered the meeting he had overheard between Dr Wells and the mysterious visitor.

‘Yeah, I remember now. Your eyes…um, they're pretty.’ He finished lamely, closed his eyes in embarrassment as Onslaught smirked at him. Then Barry watched as the metahuman’s kaleidoscope eyes flared brightly and his voice changed into something more…human. 

‘It’s nice to finally meet you, Flash, I’ve heard a lot.’

‘Thanks?’

Roy frowned as the silence stretched between them, the two metahumans starring at each other, as though communicating on some high plane, but a quick glance down made Roy grin. Guess he wasn’t the only one who needed a good pounding! Kyle had noticed Barry’s growing erection, even if the speedster refused to acknowledge it. But it was Onslaught’s whispered thoughts that had him staring at Barry. Their silent debate remained locked inside Kyle's mind, images and memories flooding by as Onslaught spoke.

‘Strange, I feel like I’ve met him before. Another time? Another place? Be careful, Kyle, do not let your desire overwhelm you.’

‘I know what I’m doing, Onslaught,’ he thought back furiously, ‘I only hope you do.’

‘We must recover the pieces! The Induction Manifold is a critical component, and it is inside the lab. We should just grab it now, not waste time with these games!’

Despite the fury of the internal debate, Kyle’s face was smooth and calm as he gestured for Roy to follow him. Aloud he asked, ‘You coming?’

‘If you want me to drive you home, then yeah.’ Roy replied snappily, un-nerved by the way the two metahumans had eyed each other up, but strangely excited too. ‘Uh, see you, Barry.’

‘Right, uh, ok, yeah. See you, Roy, um?’

‘Onslaught.’ Kyle replied, before finishing his internal conversation. ‘Sorry my friend, but if your plan succeeds, there won’t be any more “games” for me to play!’

‘Argh, very well.’ Onslaught grumbled, ‘at least we’ve finally figured out how to separate our minds when you do…engage with them.’

‘Oh, so formal. They don’t have sex where you come from?’

‘Not so frequently.’ There was an edge to his voice that Kyle liked.

‘Is he waiting for you, then?’

‘Perhaps.’ Onslaught was silent for a few moments as Kyle sat into Roy’s car, gesturing for him to start driving, the archer utterly oblivious to the exchange. ‘It matters little with the device missing all but the casing. We **must** strike soon.’

‘Relax, I got an idea on how to get through the Flash’s defences.’

‘I didn’t realise sucking him off was part of accepted military strategy here.’

‘Hehe,’ Kyle grinned externally as his mind voice laughed, ‘why make him an enemy, Onslaught, if we can make him our ally? Besides, he’s hiding something.’

‘Indeed, I felt a great sense of yearning from him, frustration and desire, although for who or what I do not know.’

‘Oh I intend to find out!’ Kyle replied as he felt Onslaught return to unity deep within him again; their conversation over.

‘Are you ok?’ Roy asked him, glancing over to see Kyle smiling. 

‘Perfect. I have much to tell you.’ The metahuman replied, as he released his hold on the liquid neutronium armour, letting it melt back into his skin, absorbed easily, leaving him sitting shirtless in Roy’s car as they sped north.


	3. Barry's Secret

Onslaught lingered at the edge of the wooden jetty, looking across the still waters of the lake towards the lights of the town on the far bank, twinkling in the approaching fog. He glanced around as bird calls echoed in the peaceful air. There was something about this place that spoke to him, some lingering memory from Kyle that pressed on his mind. Raising a bare hand in front of him, he watched wordlessly as cool liquid metal leeched outwards and covered the tanned skin. The Metahuman frowned for a moment and then stretched his hard towards the water. First there was a ripple and then something more; a whirlpool forming at the spot he was pointing at. Slowly Onslaught closed his fist tight and the water sped up, churning and boiling into white foam; the rest of the lake still as a mirror save for the chaos in this one corner. Then he released his grasp rapidly and the water surged back together violently, mixing with the stillness as the gravity walls collapsed. Onslaught stared in silence as the lake’s surface rippled and waves spread outwards from the center of his interference. The Metahuman sighed once and turned away, walking back towards the cabin where he could see Roy frowning at him. Onslaught released his hold on their mind, submerging into the lower consciousness and Kyle blinked, shaking his head as though to clear his mind, glancing down at his hand; flesh and bone again, before he looked behind him at the disturbed lake.

 

Roy paused with the cup halfway to his lips. ‘What’s he doing?’ He muttered aloud, watching the Metahuman walk back towards the cabin, waves rolling out across the lake. Things had been strangely tense after they got back, with Roy feeling like Kyle was often having another conversation at the same time they were talking. It was an odd sensation. But maybe the tension had just been his imagination, maybe he was trying to pull away again; put up walls where none were needed. He sighed to himself as his thoughts shifted quickly back to Oliver, to Oliver before the…before their choices had been made. Could he have done it differently? Did Merlyn manipulate him? It-

‘Hey.’

‘Huh?’ Roy looked up to see Kyle staring at him. ‘What?’

‘Uh, I was going to let you know I’m heading out.’

‘Where? Do you need me to come?’

The Metahuman hesitated a second before answering. ‘You know what, why don’t you come? You could actually be pretty useful for what we need to do, who we need to…get.’ Kyle paused at the last word and smirked knowingly. Roy sighed at him and shook his head.

‘Well at least I know who I’m talking to. Kyle, obviously.’ He added in response to the raised brow.

‘Hmm? What gave me away?’ Kyle asked as he gestured for them to leave.

‘Because Kyle always has this glint in his eye when he’s horny!’ Roy smirked at him.

‘Oh yeah?’ He paused at the door, and ran his gaze over Roy, the hoodie unzipped enough to show a strip of pale skin- no t-shirt. He licked his lips and flicked his gaze back to Roy’s eyes. ‘I wonder why that might be?’

‘I-oh!’ The archer didn’t have time to respond as Kyle shoved him up against the door and leaned in close, his body thrusting hard against Roy’s. The Metahuman pushed one hand between them and slipped it under his hoodie to caress Roy’s skin, their foreheads pressed together as Roy gasped. Kyle waited a moment and smirked at him, whispering, ‘Easy to get horny when you’re such a tease!’

Roy swallowed as he felt Kyle’s hard cock rub against his crotch. ‘Fuck.’ He leaned forward to kiss him, but the Metahuman pushed him down just as their lips were to touch.

‘Hehe, sorry, Roy, but we do need to go.’ He pulled back and withdrew his hands from Roy’s chest, the stroking of his fingers causing the skin to tremble and his nipples to stiffen.

‘What?! Now who’s being the tease?’ Roy huffed at him.

Kyle looked at his sideways and grinned before whispering softly; ‘You want me to fuck you now, is it? To push you back up against that door and rip those tight pants off you, to open those tasty buns and fill you up, straining and groaning, and fuck you like you’ve never been fucked before?’ He was close to Roy again, seeing the way his pulse sped rapidly, the words making him almost pant. ‘Is that what you want me to do Roy?’

‘I…’ He licked his lips, not sure what to say.

‘Heh, wait ‘til later, Harper, if my plan goes the way it does, you’ll get what you want, what you need, tonight. After we get back, I’ll give you what I just said, and so much fucking more.’ With that he turned away and walked out the back door, leaving Roy to grasp his own hard cock and stroke himself to a mini-orgasm.

 

Outside, Kyle felt Onslaught force his presence to be known. _‘What is it?’_

_‘Was that really, necessary, Kyle?’_

_‘Hey, if we do this; get the device, the pieces, assemble it and everything goes according to your plan, then-‘_

_‘Yes, yes, I know.’_ Onslaught sighed and looked down at the human hands in front of him. _‘It is your body after all, I’m just the passenger.’_

_‘Passenger with some badass superpowers. That’s pretty cool. So…you’re taking control from here?’_

Onslaught smiled to himself. _‘Indeed. But don’t worry, if we find what you think we will, I’ll ensure you enjoy it.’_ Roy coughed and Onslaught turned to face him. ‘Ah, you’ve recovered. We should move quickly.’

‘Onslaught, right?’

‘Correct. Do you object to travelling with me? By my methods, I mean.’

‘Um, no.’ Roy asked hesitantly.

‘Good, we will make better time this way.’ He pulled Kyle’s t-shirt off and closed his eyes, tilting his head back. Roy watched as liquid metal surged outwards and then splashed back across his body, covering his naked torso with a layer of shimmering silver metal. He shivered slightly as Kyle’s head and face were covered over and the features were lost completely. He truly looked like a Metahuman in this form. ‘Are you ready?’ Even the voice was different; gravelly, hard.

Roy nodded. ‘Yeah.’ He moved closer to Onslaught and squirmed uneasily as he entered the Metahuman’s gravity field, feeling suddenly weightless. ‘Why aren’t I floating?’

‘I am constantly manipulating the gravity bubble. You will feel some nausea during our travel. It will be brief.’ 

Onslaught didn’t say anything else and Roy sighed to himself. ‘Here we go.’

‘Indeed.’ Holding his hands outward, the Metahuman allowed them to rise and turned them towards the open water. ‘Close your eyes, don’t look down, and you can hold onto me if you need to.’ Roy nodded his understanding. ‘As you say: here we go!’ At that Onslaught dropped his hands and they plummeted to the earth. Seconds before impact he adjusted the field and skimmed off the surface, propelling himself and Roy up and out. He felt the human grab him tight around the waist as they began to pick up speed. Subtle manipulations of the field pushed them above the treeline and soon the forest was a blur beneath Roy as they rushed across the sky, clouds underfoot and the weak autumn sun warming his face. 

‘This is amazing,’ He whispered to himself, before realizing there was no wind to steal his words away. ‘Well at least I won’t arrive wind-blown, like Barry does, or that time he caught fire!’ Roy chuckled to himself as Onslaught nodded slowly. ‘How will you know when we get there, wherever “there” is?’

‘GPS. I’ll check shortly. And we’re going to Central City. As I said, there is something we must do.’

‘Huh. Is that all you’re gonna say about it?’

‘It is better for you to see, than for me to tell you.’ Was all the answer Roy got from the cryptic Metahuman. Still, nothing could beat the sensation of flying across the sky with nothing to secure him but this shimmering metal covered man.

 

Barry Allen glanced away before Eddie noticed his look. He quickly turned his attention to the whiteboard where the Captain was pointing out their suspects. He waited a few more seconds and then raised his eyes from the table to look over at Eddie again. The older man didn’t appear to have noticed his stare, or wasn't aware of the scrutiny Barry had him under now. The Metahuman’s gaze trailed up from the crisp shirt and tie to that strong jaw and lingered at his lips as the cop moistened them, about to comment on the case. Barry’s eyes skimmed over his body once more, swallowing when Eddie unconsciously flexed his arms restlessly. And then there was a moment when Eddie turned his head, meeting Barry’s eyes. 

There was a tiny pause as the cop weighed him up, wondering if there was something else going on with the CSI. But Barry dropped his gaze and Eddie felt his stomach clench like it always did when Barry was around. He glanced back at the board and nodded his understanding at what the Captain was explaining. Gathering his folders and notepad he tried to rush out the door, but it seemed Barry had had the same idea. They didn’t collide exactly, since Barry stopped dead and Eddie pushed past him, his hand accidently brushing up against the younger man’s bare arm. Muttering a quick apology, he walked quickly towards the stairs, feeling his face flush. 

Barry’s skin tingled from that briefest of contacts and he watched Eddie walk away, then he glanced down. ‘Shit.’ He whispered and lowered his own notepad, shuffling towards the other staircase, leading to the attic lab. He made it without incident, except for the confused frown of the Captain, but Barry just grinned awkwardly and Singh shook his head and wandered into his office. Breathing a sigh of relief, Barry dropped the notepad on the desk and reached into his pants to adjust his cock, pushing it to the left while giving it a quick squeeze. ‘Ahh, you’re so fucking hot!’ He moaned aloud, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, not hearing the object of his desire freeze on the top of the stairs behind him. ‘Mmmh, yeah, just like that!’ Barry whispered as he fantasised it was the cop’s hand on him.

Eddie lingered in the doorway for a second longer, before retreating carefully down the stairs evidence bag still in his hand. Barry didn’t mention _his_ name, per se, but still…

 

Onslaught landed on the asphalt outside the side entrance to Star Labs, letting Roy down gently. They looked around and then the metahuman nodded. “Good, no one here.”

“You knew it’d be empty?”

“I suspected, and my contacts have come through.” The smooth liquid metal parted around his head and Onslaught gestured for Roy to go through the door behind him. “How refreshing to have some accurate intel. This won’t take a moment.” He extended a hand and a wave of silver shot out, battering the locked door aside. 

“Wait! Did you...?” Roy frowned, concerned about alarms, but there was no screech of sirens or clanging of bells.

Onslaught smiled, eyes glowing bright in the darkness. “A favour, from our man on the inside. Contractor, the type of person everyone misses, and yet they go everywhere. He even managed to catch a glimpse of the piece we’re after.”

“Are we coming for it tonight? Why didn’t you let me get my suit?”

“No, not tonight. This is more of a recon mission. Besides,” Onslaught paused as he turned a corner towards the stairs. “This is a personal call, I did say we were meeting someone important, didn’t I?”

“The Flash?” Roy shrugged, “I could have just called him, you know?”

“Hmm, perhaps.” Onslaught muttered as he nodded towards a heavy metal door built into the side of a curving wall. “This looks promising, we must be close to the particle accelerator ring.”

He made as if to pull the door open, but hesitated and pointed towards a gantry winding its way above them. “This way, there are strange vibrations coming from behind the door. We should not under-estimate the defences of this place.”

Roy shook his head and followed Onslaught up the stairs, feeling naked without his bow. He reached beneath one pant leg for the combat knife he carried there and pulled it out. The archer could feel Onslaught glance at him, but said nothing. 

“Here.” Onslaught whispered, pointing to an over-hang; the gantry extending outwards to look over the particle accelerator. “Be silent.”

Roy frowned but then his eyes widened as he saw the Flash standing in front of a converted prison cell, having seen one before. He glanced sideways to see Onslaught frowning, the metal liquid pooling around his neck as he crouched low to survey the room. Roy was about to suggest they move on when there was a sudden loud hum of the machinery around the cell powering into life.

The heavy pressurised door begun to whine and ground upwards as the colored bands around the chamber glowed brightly, a faint translucent bubble shimmering around the cell and the adjoining room. After a moment the bubble pushed upwards and slowly encompassed them. Onslaught could taste copper on his tongue as the air became charged. He glanced down at his hands, seeing the metal liquid forced back into his skin and slowly felt himself pushed below the surface. Kyle glanced at Roy in surprise. “This must be the prison; he’s repressing my powers!” 

“Do you think he knows we’re here?” Roy whispered back, really wishing he had his bow.

“I don’t think so, why would he activate it while he’s in front of it?” Kyle replied, confusion edging his voice. “Unless…hehe, so it is true.” He laughed to himself, holding up a finger to stall Roy’s obvious question. They crouched down lower, hidden better from Barry, who stood as he did before. The cell door finished opening, stopping with an echoing clang and the they struggled to hear what the Flash was saying to the metahuman kept inside. “I need to get a better angle.” Kyle said as he moved away, still stealthy, his eyes shifting between cerulean and stars as the effects of the containment field weaken and flux around him. Roy nodded and stayed in place, going back to watching as the Flash step forward into the cell, frowning in confusion. Was this where the piece of the weapon was kept?

 

Barry stood in front of Tony Woodward, the childhood bully who now called himself Girder, letting his eyes rove over his magnificent muscles, the smooth sun-kissed flesh still as taut and glorious as when he had first come face to face with him. Barry licked his lips as he hungrily gazed at the hunk in his barely fitting vest, smirking as he stepped closer, his cock pressing hard against the tightness of the Flash suit, making an obscene bulge that the other metahuman took in with a knowing grin.

“Back again, Barry?”

The Flash didn’t reply, just pulled Girder out of the cell, letting the door seal with a hiss. He flicked his head and Girder sighed. “Fine, but just so you know, I actually enjoy this. It’s not some torture to have your sexy little twink body pressing up against mine.” He whispered the last words as he ripped the vest from his smooth, muscle bound chest and dropped the fabric on the ground. “But the things I would do to you, Barry, they haven’t changed since the things I wanted to do to you since high school!” He grinned as Barry stripped out of the Flash suit, his naked body coming into view; pert buttocks and toned muscles, pale in contrast to Tony’s tan. He turned to one side, showing off his already drooling cock; stroking the thick shaft and bulbous head as he circled Tony.

“Now the shorts. Wear the jockstrap I gave you.” Barry ordered, jerking off slowly as the other metahuman pushed down his shorts, revealing his equally tanned ass cheeks and the white straps of the underwear already there. “Oh, very nice! Been waiting for me, Tony?” Barry smirked and reached back to grab a bottle from the floor. “Because I’ve been waiting for this all day!” Like the many times before, Barry opened the bottle of oil and squirted some of it in his hands. Without another word, savouring the feeling, he moved around and began to oil Tony's thick, muscular back, pressing and rubbing firmly as he spread the oil. He continued, adding oil when necessary, moving down to Tony's tight and naked ass, lingering there to press and rub the warm flesh, gripping the cheeks tightly before releasing and moving on, knowing he’d return to experience deeper pleasure there later. As he moved to the legs, Barry could feel his hard cock throbbing, begging to be used, to push against that slippery oiled musculature, all over Tony’s hard, oiled body…He jerked off just enough to sate his urges with one oily hand, before returning to greasing up the metahuman. Barry oiled Tony’s legs from behind, reaching around to do the front, his hands brushing against the sac of Tony’s jockstrap and he could feel the growing cock swell inside, sending a jolt of electricity down his spine. “So you do enjoy this…” Barry muttered. “Now for the fun part!”

When he had completed the legs, Barry stood, and began to oil Tony's strong arms. As he did so, the metahuman flexed his guns, allowing Barry to massage his massive biceps with oil. They did the same with the other arm. The Flash looked down to see Girder’s huge cock head pressing against the jockstrap and grinned mischievously. He teased the shaft and stroked him through the straining fabric, hearing the metahuman groan in mixed protest and pleasure, knowing Girder was completely at his mercy. Barry pulled down the jockstrap and released the monster, loving the sound of the cock slapping against Tony’s abs. He continued to oil the metahuman’s body, beginning with his shoulders, moving his hands over the heaving pecs and down to his stomach, glorying in the smoothness of Tony’s body. Barry idly wondered if the metahuman’s permanent, total, hairlessness was a side effect of the powers he had been given. But he didn't really care, Barry loved running his hands all over the man’s body; the feel of smooth, hairless skin always aroused him.

When he completed oiling Tony's hard, hot body, Barry looked down to the hard, drooling cock standing straight up and just begging to touched again. He reached down and took hold, then began to slowly stroke, covering it too with oil. But after a moment, Barry stopped and handed the bottle of oil to Tony. “Pour it on me.” He commanded and let the oiled muscle stud drench his torso in the liquid, using his hands to ensure his entire upper body and arms were covered first. As he rubbed the oil across his smooth body, Barry playfully rubbed his nipples, causing them to harden to pinpricks. He let his eyes roll up and down Tony’s body as the metahuman flexed for him and softly tweaked and played with his hard nips, allowing himself to let out a soft moan as he did. He ran his hands across his light abs and down the front of his smooth thighs, rubbing more oil into them. Barry reapplied some more to his hands and then began caressing an ass cheek with each hand, taking the bottle from Tony and pouring it on his pert ass. He gently massaged each cheek and slowly allowed the slick middle fingers of his right hand to creep into his crack and gently probe against his ass hole. Barry focused on the massive cock standing in front of him as the tip of his middle finger entered his smooth ass, letting out an erotic moan, even as Tony rubbed his own body with oil. Barry jerked off furiously, his eyes suddenly snapping closed, panting as he whispered a single name over and over. “Ah, Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie, yes! Oh! Ah! Nearly…ugh!”

 

Onslaught moved around to the entrance of the room, the blast door wide open, feeling his powers shift and wane in the presence of the null field. He lurked in the shadows, watching the events unfold inside the room, part of him confused by the actions the metahumans were taking, but the human part of him, Kyle, was swearing loudly in their mind. He watched their interaction with interest at first, then surprise, before an amused grin spread across his face. “Very interesting...” He pushed on the tiny button on his coms and instructed Roy to meet him by the entrance. 

“On my way.” Roy whispered back, holding the micro-communicator to his lips; another of Kyle’s spy toys that came in handy. After all they didn’t have Felicity back channelling everything in the Arrowcave anymore. He slipped away just as Barry shot an impressive load across the other metahuman’s stomach, sounds of his rapturous orgasm echoing down the long hallway. The archer reached down and readjusted his own drooling cock in his trousers, a few more minutes and Roy was sure he would have cum without needing to touch himself; Barry sure put on a hell of an erotic show!

Onslaught was waiting for him in the clear night air, once again fully covered in liquid metal, featureless face-plate looking at him. “I think we have sufficient leverage to exert over the Flash, or rather, you do.” 

“Leverage?” Roy asked, confused. “He’s pretty distracted in there, we could search for it now?”

“No, each piece emits a certain kind of radiation, I was not able to detect it within half a kilometre of our location. But it could be shielded. It is time to go.” Onslaught responded with a finality that Roy was loathe to argue with.

“Fine. We’re coming back, right?”

_“Of course. We exploit the Flash’s personal weakness, locate the piece and come one step closer to victory.”_ Onslaught‘s silent reply made Kyle smile internally, while externally he simply nodded. “Yes. I will brief you on our return. Although I believe Kyle made you a promise to ‘de-brief’ you first!”

Roy stared at the metahuman, “Was that a joke?”

“I believe I am learning.” He inclined his head. “Shall we?”

 

Barry dropped the towel into his laundry basket, his skin hot and silky after the shower and oiling earlier. He stood in front of the window that overlooked the city, the cold air of the apartment a welcome relief after the heat of the water. Tiredness threatened to overcome him; the effects of the null field. The device was poorly understood, but the military had been experimenting with the concept before someone clever in ARGUS made it a reality. An energy field that disrupts metahuman powers? Wondrous device, or so they all proclaimed, but Barry often thought about the other parts to it: it was clear that other things slotted into it, three perhaps. Was it really a weapon? Perhaps the setting could be turned up to completely nullify the metahuman inside?

He shook his head and turned towards his bed, dragging the covers back and grabbing a pair of tight shorts to pull up his otherwise naked form. Barry dropped into the bed and struggled to pull the sheets back around him, a sort of heaviness settling in his nose. This always happened, but it was an acceptable price to pay to get off on Tony Woodward, a long time crush, and erstwhile enemy. A delicious enemy at that, as soon as Barry had encountered Girder, he knew he wanted to explore that body, preferably without being torn apart. Thank the null field for that! Still…it paled in comparison to what he felt for Eddie, what he wanted from Eddie, and their encounters; the tiny, brief touches, the glorious meetings where he could eye-fuck the cop for hours. “Mmmh, Eddie…” Barry whispered as he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been roughly six months since I updated this...been a few problems, lots of writer's block, problems translating the vision from my mind to the page. Plus, Teen Wolf kinda took over. I have been writing this chapter since July of last year, hopefully it didn't read like that, but thank for you reading and enjoy!


	4. Power Laid Bare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've updated this fic, and I'm sorry for the slow updates; I've been concentrating on the other ones. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for reading!

Roy switched off the bathroom light and walked towards the bedroom, pausing at the door as he watched Onslaught’s metal form slowly dissipate and Kyle’s tanned skin come back into view. He moved inside the bedroom and shut the door, feeling his pulse quicken and cock stiffen in his pants. “Uh.”

“You okay?” Kyle asked with a smile, turning to face him. 

“Yeah, I just…it’s weird sometimes; there’s a whole other person inside of you.”

“I’m still me. Besides, he normally tunes out during this part.” Kyle laughed and walked across to Roy. “I believe I made you a promise, and I like to keep my word.”

“Sounds good,” Roy murmured, closing his eyes as Kyle came closer to him, feeling his lips press softly against his own. “Mmh.”

Kyle guided him towards the bed, as his hands burrowed underneath Roy’s t-shirt and grasped his hips firmly. He intensified the kiss, pushing his tongue into the archer’s willing mouth, feeling a slight tremble as he ran the tip across Roy’s. Roy grunted when he was pushed onto the covers, raising himself on his elbows for a moment to pull his t-shirt off, watching as the Metahuman slipped his trousers down and mirrored the action.

“Ah!” He yelped in surprise when he was suddenly pushed back again. There was an added weight on his chest as though an invisible hand was pressing down on his abs. “Hey! No Metahuman powers!”

“Sorry,” Kyle smirked, lowering his naked body on top of Roy’s, kissing him hard again, making the archer’s lips burn pleasantly.

"Mmmmpfffffff!" Roy moaned loudly, hands reaching down Kyle’s back to grasp his firm muscled cheeks and pulled him closer, harder, groaning as their cocks, now raging, moved against each other. Kyle pulled off suddenly and rolled onto his back beside him, as Roy glanced over. “Is something wrong?”

The Metahuman had an unreadable expression on his face, but after a moment he met Roy’s concerned eyes and smiled, even if the warmth didn’t reach his own. “No, I’m fine. Gonna jerk you off, okay?”

“Um, yeah, I…I guess.” Roy frowned, confused. “I, oh fuck!” He gasped as Kyle grasped the hard shaft of his cock and began to slowly stroke him up and down, other hand fondling his smooth ball sack and pressing ever so slightly against his perineum. “Oh, god! That’s, fuck!”

Kyle smirked at him and increased the pace of his stroking, using his thumb to spread the precum across the head of Roy’s cock, glancing up to see the archer panting slightly, eyes closed, biting his lower lip as he stroked him. Kyle leaned over Roy's cock and breathed lightly on the tip, feeling him quiver beneath him. He smirked again and this time stuck out his tongue and licked it making him gasp loudly. He lifted his head and looked at Roy who opened his eyes and smiled at him as the Metahuman lowered his head back down and engulfed as much of the man’s cock into his warm wet mouth as he could fit and started sucking on it eagerly.

"Oh! Ah! Uh!" Roy moaned as Kyle slurped on his cock, moving his hot mouth up and down on it. The Metahuman closed his eyes and tried to get more of Roy's thick rod into his mouth, feeling his lips touch the base of the archer's shaven pubes after a moment. Roy gasped and shuddered when he glanced down and saw his entire length buried in Kyle’s mouth. “Oh my fucking god! How…Ugh, yeah! Don't! Don't stop! Uh!” Roy moaned out as he grasped the Metahuman’s hair and pulled him up and down his thick shaft, finally sending him over the edge, arcing his back and grunting loudly. Kyle pulled off and helped jerk Roy off, their hands sliding together across his slick flesh, the other hand still pressing between his legs as jets of cream squirted out onto Roy’s abs and the Metahuman’s face. When the final spurt subsided, Roy gasped as Kyle sucked his cock into his mouth again and licked the sensitive head until it stopped twitching. He pulled off the archer and smiled at him as Roy panted heavily after his intense orgasm. “Fuck…that was…I didn’t mean to cum so soon.”

“A lot of pent up emotion?” Kyle asked with an arched brow, jerking his own cock back to its full length. “I think I can get you to shoot again!”

“Yeah, I’m not done yet, not after Barry’s sexy little show tonight, fuck that was so hot!” Roy sat up and gestured for Kyle to get on his back. “Your turn. Can I…” He hesitated, but Kyle nodded.

“Go on.”

“Can I fuck you? I mean, I like having you inside me, but-“

“Go ahead. I’d like that.” The Metahuman interrupted him and smiled, this time his eyes twinkled and Roy could see he meant it.

Roy got off the bed and Kyle took his position lying on his back watching him, arms folded behind his head. The archer climbed back on the bed and got between Kyle's open legs, sitting back on his heels. He took the man’s cock in his hand and started stroking it back and forth before he leaned over and took it into his mouth and started sucking on it. Kyle moaned softly and started gently stroking the back of Roy's head as he sucked his cock. Roy let the Metahuman’s thick cock slip from his lips and started licking his smooth balls coating them with his spit, eliciting loud moans for his work.

He moved further down and licked across Kyle's perineum moving closer to his hole, his breathing becoming more intense as a fire was stoked in his stomach. He hesitated before going further, glancing up at where Kyle was lying, hands behind his head, eyes closed and lips parted in pleasure. Roy stuck out his tongue and tasted the entrance to his hole as it constricted to his touch.

"You don't have to." Kyle said looking down at Roy between his legs, he knew that he hadn’t really done this before, even if he knew how good it felt. “You can just-“

"I want to." Roy said lifting his head and grinning at him.

"Okay." Kyle replied simply, as he put his hands behind his knees and pulled up his legs to his chest giving Roy better access to his ass. Roy felt his cock stiffen almost painfully as he laid down on the covers as lowered his head to the Metahuman's hairless ass and started licking at Kyle’s hole; trying to get his tongue inside. He could hear the loud moans as the tip of his tongue slipped inside.

Roy moaned himself as he become more engrossed in tonguing out the guy’s ass, feeling the muscle clench around his wet probing tongue, loving the feeling as Kyle rocked back and forth against his face, urging him deeper, as Roy reached around him to stroke the Metahuman’s raging hardon. After a few more minutes of licking the tight pucker, Roy lifted his head from Kyle's ass and smirked naughtily at him as he sucked on his middle finger getting it lubed up before he pushed it back into his hungry hole. Kyle moaned louder than before when Roy’s finger probed inside him, quivering as Roy spit on his asshole as he slid his finger in and out to lubricate him some more. He pulled out his finger and licked it again, then he sucked on his forefinger along with his middle finger smiling at Kyle’s moans and pants, using his other hand to trace the lines his sweat took across his pecs and down his abs. “Mmmh,” The archer moaned around his fingers as he lubed them up before he stuck them back in the muscular guy’s hole.

"Uhhhhhhh!" Kyle moaned as Roy slid his two fingers deep into his ass and moved them back and forth. Roy pulled out his fingers after a few minutes of sliding them in and out of his tight ass stretching his hole and looked up at the Metahuman.

"Fuck me! Fuck me now, you tease!" Kyle called out, eager to feel Roy’s thick cock inside him.

"Okay, turn over!"

"No I want to do it like this." 

"Okay."

Kyle lowered his legs a little so the archer could reach his butt as Roy rubbed his wet fingers over the hot pink hole. Roy took the offered lube and condom from Kyle, slipping the rubber on with practiced ease. He moved closer to Kyle and started rubbing his cock against his hole feeling the heat of the guy’s body on his throbbing cock.

Roy lined himself up and leaned forward to brace himself against Kyle’s shoulders, his hips closer to his butt, inching his dick forward. Kyle gasped out when he felt Roy's cock make contact with his hole, the archer pushed forward and the head slipped into the hole with just a hint of resistance, but the tightness still made him gasp and his head explode with stars. He couldn't resist the urge to push forward as the heat and tightness of Kyle’s ass stimulated his sensitive glans and he thrust forward, urging his seven inch shaft all the way into Kyle’s ass making him moan out loudly.

"I can really feel you in me, you’re fucking amazing!" Kyle moaned, grinning widely at Roy, even as he panted a little.

"Yeah it feels great!" Roy gasped out, “I should have tried this sooner!” He grinned as the Metahuman’s hot tight ass surrounded his cock and the guy clenched slightly. “Uh! Oh! Fuck!” He started slowly thrusting his cock in and out of Kyle’s tight hole as he closed his eyes. 

Roy leaned forward kissing Kyle hard as he picked up his pace, fucking the guy a little faster, a little deeper, a little wilder, with each thrust generating moans and the two men’s grunts filling the room. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh produced fresh cries of pleasure as Roy rocked back and forth, really building up a pace, his body slick with sweat, even as he struggled to maintain their kiss. They broke apart when his cock slipped out of Kyle's ass and Roy sat back on his heels for a second, grabbing the lube and reapplying it to his throbbing, slick cock. He repositioned himself between Kyle’s spread legs squatting down on his haunches and pushed back into his tight ass with one thrust. Roy started thrusting slowly into his ass again enjoying how hot and tight and soft the Metahuman’s insides felt surrounding his cock. Kyle grunted loudly and pulled his legs up further with his knees touching his shoulders as Roy thrusted his cock deeper inside him. The archer lay down over Kyle’s muscular body and started kissing him again, moaning as the man sucked on his tongue. Kyle released his grip on his legs as they were now resting on Roy's shoulders and shuddered as he started thrusting into him faster.

"Ahh! Hunh! Ohhh!" Roy shouted out, resting his head next to Kyle’s as he pushed his cock into the man’s ass as deep as he could and shot harder than he ever did before. Kyle didn’t even need to touch his own as he sprayed his cum between their two tightly pressed, rocking bodies. He let out a final moan and rolled his head back, blacking out for a moment. In the darkness he could feel Onslaught staring at him, thoughtful.

“I can die content now.” He thought and saw the silver covered man nod solemnly, even if his tone was confused.

_Was that all it took? A quick fuck from a man who doesn’t really love you, who’s still in love with the archer who trained him?_

“It’s enough.” Kyle muttered aloud and felt Roy pull out of his ass, collapsing on top of him, utterly spent. Onslaught receded from his mind’s eye and Kyle drifted into sleep, arms loosely wrapped around Roy’s body.

 

The morning was cool with dew heavy on the grass, as the sun rose from behind the trees to reflect its brilliant disc off the surface of the still lake. Mist lingered above the water and gathered on the banks, near the rushes. Roy walked down towards the small wooden jetty, cups of coffee in both hands, headed for the lone figure sitting on the edge, legs swinging slowly back and forth. The Metahuman was in his human form now, clad in canvas shorts and an open, loose shirt. The archer stopped beside him, handing off one cup silently, before sitting on the dry wooden planks beside Kyle. Roy shivered slightly in the cool air, pulling his hoodie tighter around him and zipping up the front. “Aren’t you cold?” He asked, looking sideways at Kyle.

“No. I don’t feel it at all really.” He replied, still staring at the mist covered waters.

“Huh, must be nice.” Roy muttered in response and took a sip of his coffee. “Are you alright? You seem a little down? Was there…was it something I did?”

“No. You’re okay.” Kyle smiled for a moment before it faded. He glanced at Roy and shrugged. “I’m fine, I guess. It just seems so far away now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, that night; when we first met: do you remember it?” He continued on without waiting for Roy to reply. “It seemed so simple, so easy, and now it’s not. It’s complicated and messy and…despite what happened last night and the nights before, we’re not really connecting, you know?”

“Uh.”

“I feel like we’re not connecting, not the way we used to, but it’s not your fault. I guess it’s the fact that there’s a whole other person in here with me: conflicting thoughts, ideas, strategies; strange and uncomfortable doesn’t even begin to describe it.” Kyle fell silent for a moment, gazing off into the distance as the warm sun finally crested the tallest trees and bathed them in golden light. Roy wasn’t sure what to say, so he too remained quiet. The Metahuman sighed and looked at him, “Do you think about him a lot?”

“Who?” Roy was confused, brows crashing together in a frown.

“Oliver.”

“Oh.” He licked his dry lips before continuing, “I guess, um, I mean we didn’t part on the best of terms exactly. There was, is, bad blood there.”

“I recall.” Kyle was watching him now as Roy looked out across the lake, eyes half closed to block the sunlight, but enjoying the warmth on his face. “Merlyn’s death was difficult for you.”

“I guess it shouldn’t have been, he wasn’t the first, won’t be the last. I guess we all made mistakes last year.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “Why are you asking me about this, anyway? Don’t we have a mission to do? You’re normally so focused.”

Kyle nodded, “You’re right, of course. The all-powerful ‘Device.’” He made bunny ears with his fingers and let out a short laugh. “It’s Onslaught who’s so focused, you know.”

“What’s so funny about it?”

“I built it, designed it, tested it.” Kyle admitted, gesturing around as he did so. “The first two took place before the accident, but I still tried out its capabilities even when I knew I was a Metahuman. Huh, even made a few adjustments to improve its powers, get the job done more effectively, kill us quicker and faster.”

“So, you’re cleaning up a mess you started, that’s noble of you.”

“Hmm, perhaps.” Kyle became quiet again and finished drinking his coffee. “At least we know where to go next.”

“Star Labs?”

“Yes. I’ll get you what you’ll need.” The Metahuman stood up slowly, stretching and yawning, walking back towards the house. Roy turned to watch him go, frowning as he reflected on what they had just discussed. Did he miss Oliver? Well, of course he did; the vigilante had been such a big part of his life for these past two years that not being around him, with the team, running missions and taking down bad guys, it felt weird. Not wrong exactly, just as though he was constantly falling asleep only to be jerked back awake again. It was as if he couldn’t let go. It wasn’t as if there had been any closure there: Roy had chosen one path and Oliver had taken another. And it wasn’t just the breakdown of their relationship and him leaving the team, it was everything else; Oliver abandoning his city, being so tight-lipped about the past, joining the League of Shadows, taking up the mantle of Ra's al Ghul, master of assassins and destroyer of civilisations, willingly. 

But the quiet life didn’t suit him, the whirlwind of chaos that seemed to follow Kyle wherever he went had taken Roy along for the ride and the archer found himself enjoying their adventures; their missions striking deep into high-tech vaults and sneaking around cities looking for technology. It wasn’t like his usual operations, but Onslaught seemed to have it all planned out, as if nothing caught him off-guard; everything had followed the same grand strategic playbook he himself followed, even Barry Allen’s secret fetishes hadn’t thrown him. It was as if he already knew there would be a way to blackmail the Flash into helping them, perhaps that was the ex-secret agent part of him. And he talked about the weapon, the device, the machine, whatever it was, like it was some all-killing Metahuman nuke, but what was it really? Any attempts to delve deeper into the technology behind it was brushed aside, or deflected, or straight up ignored. Roy was used to operating in the dark, finding out the details as they went along, but this was different: there was definitely something else the “weapon” could do, something Kyle didn’t want to tell him.

 

Kyle watched Roy from the kitchen window, absently rinsing out his cup. After a moment he closed his eyes and released control of his conscious mind, feeling himself float backwards and Onslaught’s personality become dominant. Onslaught opened his eyes and blinked twice, his thoughts becoming more concrete and less dreamlike. He rolled his shoulders and neck, stretching the muscles even as his liquid metal shell covered his body and soon he was encased in the grey material. “Ah. Much better.” He muttered and walked into the living room, pointing at a heavy metal crate in the corner, levitating it upwards and opening the lid. A quick twiddle of his fingers and the contents floated out, landing gently on the table in front of him. 

“What are these things?”

Onslaught glanced at Roy as he lingered at the doorway. “Ah, good, you’re here. These tools will be vital in securing the Null Field Generator. That was the device which-“

“Yeah! No, no, I remember.” Roy interrupted quickly. “So, what do I need to do? I’m not an engineer.”

“That should not matter. While we were observing…the Flash, I noticed that the generator was mounted just above the entry portal to the prison complex. I will provide suitable distraction to occupy the Flash and his team, while you infiltrate and secure the Component.”

“That’s not what you said last night.” Roy replied, “You said you couldn’t detect its signature.”

“I…yes, that was partly correct.” Onslaught admitted. “But we simply didn’t have the tools needed to remove it from the position they have it in. At least, not without revealing ourselves to the Flash and his…friend.”

“And that?” Roy nodded at a metal cube on the table beside the tools. 

“It is a fake Null Field Generator. Something I created this morning.” Roy arched a brow, but Onslaught continued to speak, “I will create an opening for you to get access to the real Component, and then you can swap the two, if you are willing?”

“I thought you were going to blackmail Barry into getting it for us instead.”

“No.” Onslaught shook his head slowly and then added, “That information could have value later, it would be unwise to use it now when we can simply take the Component.”

Roy picked up what looked like a futuristic screwdriver and frowned. “Hang on a minute, if we’re taking their Null whatever-“

“Null Field Generator.”

“Right.” Roy continued after a glance at the featureless faceplate. “Won’t taking it free all those prisoners they’ve captured? I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

“Ever the vigilante, eh?” Onslaught considered for a moment and then shook his head. “No, the construction of the prison itself keeps the Metahumans in lockdown; drained of their power if held in isolation. It is only when they emerge from their cages that this device would affect them. And this grey module here matches the Component in every sense but functionality, they will not even realise it has been replaced. Besides, the Null Field Generator only affects one prisoner, if our investigation was anything to go by. An unpleasant mistake if Barry Allen is not observant.”

Roy could have sworn there was a smile there for a second. He just nodded instead and picked up a steel case to put the tools into. “So I’ll know what to do when I get there?”

“I will guide you through it.” Onslaught reassured him, before handing Roy an earpiece. “Here, put this in your ear when you are ready to speak to me, then I will be able to offer instruction. Are you ready?”

“I guess.” Roy shrugged. “Are we driving?”

“That would be preferable. You should drop me off before we enter the city and you will proceed to Star Labs. It is imperative that you arrive there before I start my attack.”

“Attack?”

“Distraction.” Onslaught amended. “Do not be alarmed, I will not kill anyone, only cause the illusion of it; draw out the Flash and give you a window to operate in. Be warned however, that this timeframe will not last long. Things may become…confrontational.”

“Well, just don’t hurt him, okay?” Roy asked hesitantly.

“I have no desire to injury Barry Allen.” The Metahuman bowed his head in agreement and Roy gestured towards the car. 

“Let’s go.”

 

Onslaught waved to Roy as the archer reluctantly drove away. He could sense Roy’s unease at this plan, but it was the only way to secure the Component, as for what would happen when the Flash realised the Null Field Generator was stolen…well, that was what the dummy module was for: to by time enough to execute the grand plan. Surely the Flash did not indulge in such carnal desires regularly? Onslaught pushed the thoughts from his mind, the mission was all important; there could be no distractions, no slip ups, no chinks in the armor of his ruse or they would be discovered. The Metahuman slowed his breathing and concentrated on drawing his power outwards, as though he was pulling on a bunched coil of ropes, tugging them out until he felt a sting: there. Onslaught grimaced as pain shot up his ribcage, snapping his eyes open to see the waste ground he was standing on become still and static, even as gust of wind blew the rubbish into the air not ten feet from him. The Metahuman rolled his neck and shoulders, glancing skywards as his liquid metal skin shifted and twisted, turning from the smooth silvery grey it normally was into a dark inky black. Shapes pushed out from the metal and protruded like bulwarks from his shoulders. Long dark spines thrust upwards from his back and crowned his waist in weeping spires. His face twisted into a swirling vortex, the liquid-like substance spinning hungrily, eye-wateringly distracting. Onslaught glanced down at his hands, now covered in gauntlets of ugly black metal. “Excellent.” Even his voice had changed; slower, coarser, a harsh growl. “Let us begin.”

_Just…don’t kill him. Or anyone else for that matter._

“I make no promises, Kyle. We must convince the Flash that we are a threat to be reckoned with.” Onslaught levitated himself upwards and pushed off from the ground, skimming across the industrial estate, gaze fixed on Downtown.

_I get that; I’m just saying Roy will be pissed if people die because of us. But, uh, yeah, collateral damage is expected and accepted-_

“Within the given framework?” Onslaught finished, a smile in his voice. “Nothing quite like the cruel calculus of war, is there? Or ARGUS training, too?”

_Let’s just get on with this._

“Gladly.” The Metahuman increased his speed and elevation until he was floating above the pristine streets leading to the square. 

 

“Here I come, Flash!” With those words he released gravity field around himself and plummeted to the ground, the impact of his feet cracking the bricks of the square. He straightened up, seeing the horrified and startled humans stand around him. Onslaught stretched out a hand and the liquid metal surged outwards, crashing through a coffee stall, spilling broken wood and steaming water across the pavement, before sweeping left and right and throwing people backwards into the shop windows. He chuckled darkly, the sound rough and alien coming from the sinister black armor now covering him. Twisting the coils of metal around him he thrust forward and unleashed the spires into cars and the pavement; cracking the surface before burrowing underneath and with the flick of his fingers broke the stone and brick into floating chunks. Screams filled the square and then there was a crack of guns behind him, adding to the hysteria. The Metahuman turned slowly, attention switching to the cops, even as their guns fell from their faltering hands, eyes immediately drawn to the vortex where his face ought to be. “Be gone!” Onslaught cried and backhanded them as though flicking away an insect. The first cop was flung onto her back and rolled under a nearby car, calling for backup, as her partner was tossed into a storefront, glass shattering around him. “Oh, this is fun!” Onslaught cackled. 

_Don’t overdo it, Onslaught. No need to go theatre villain here._ Kyle whispered to him. _Hey, crush those cars over there!_

The Metahuman glanced at the line of high end sports cars even as their owners searched desperately for keys. “I don’t think so!” He thrust out both hands and metal waves surged greedily forward again to smash into the vehicles, turning them on their sides and flipping several over. There was a sudden crump as a fuel tank exploded, followed by several more explosions, blowing more glass from the shattered windows of the stores and restaurants. Black smoke rose into the air as Onslaught continued to devastate the shopping district. Sirens could be heard as the Metahuman turned away from the tourist trap and fixed his attention on the response. The earpiece crackled to life and Roy’s voice came through.

“Uh, wow, ok. You’re really going to town on this um, town…”

Onslaught rolled his eyes even as he felt Kyle snigger. “Elegant as ever. Are you in position?”

“I’m, yeah, fuck, some distraction; it looks like a terrorist attack from where I was just sitting.” Roy sounded nervous, but almost awed as well. “Um, Barry’s on the way and the rest of the team are trying to figure out what you are, who you are, and also what to call you. Well, Cisco is. But, um, Barry’s gone, so…?”

“Make your way to the prison section and tell me when you’ve arrived.” Onslaught glanced to one side and examined the fire hydrants nearby. He looked up again as a red and yellow blur arced across the bridge and towards him. “The Flash is coming.”

“Oh, great. I’m waiting for the doors to open. Good job they’re not locked, huh?”

“Indeed.” 

“Yup.” Roy muttered to himself after Onslaught’s short reply. He glanced around and tapped nervously on the outside of the steel suitcase in his hand. The door unsealed with a hiss and Roy pulled it open wide enough to slip inside, letting it re-seal after him. “Ok. I’m in.”

“Look above you. Do you see a large metallic box? There should be a transparent orb on the end, likely filled with sparks of a green or blue nature.” Onslaught’s voice was steady, giving Roy no insight into what was happening outside.

“Uh, yeah. It’s just out of reach.” He looked up, then glanced around him, spotting a stepladder nearby. “Uh, no, hang on, ok. I can get at it now. What do I do? Just pull it out?”

“No! It is a delicate piece of equipment, Roy.” Onslaught chastised him, and then grunted. “Damn, he’s stronger than he looks.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. He’s not beating you, is he?” Roy popped open the case and examined the tools inside.

“Hardly. I did just fling him half a block away though, so that’ll give me a moment.”

“You realise he’s super-fast, right?” Roy quirked a brow.

“There’s half of the square’s audacious fountain on top of him.” Onslaught replied coolly and then added. “Listen to me carefully. First take the device that looks like a screwdriver…”

 

Roy eased the Component out of the slot that had been built for it, grasping the prongs with the tool as Onslaught had instructed him, feeling the heat radiate off the glowing white spikes, making his hands sweaty and drip into his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Are you alright, Roy?”

“It’s hot!” He called out irately. “Ok, I’ve got it in the case now. The sparks or whatever have died though. Is that-“

“It’s expected. It should cool rapidly and once it does, you will need to leave immediately.”

“What? Won’t that look suspicious?” Roy frowned as he inserted the fake replacement into the empty slots, “Can’t I just wait it out, I mean, I did come here to see Barry, right?”

“Err, yes.” The Metahuman sounded suddenly uneasy.

“What?” 

“Perhaps I should have mentioned that the device can be partly radioactive. It’s-“

“What the fuck?”

“I said partly.” Onslaught replied reproachfully. “It might be best for you to leave the case outside the lab, near your car, perhaps, and I will collect it on my way out of the city.”

Roy was silent for a moment, before sealing the case and climbing down the ladder. “We really need to talk about your communication skills. Was Kyle aware of this?”

The Metahuman didn’t respond immediately. “I did mention this previously; perhaps I should have been clearer that the Component itself has an active radiological field. We believed the risk was negligible; the emissions only showed up in tests on the Device itself, he did not want to worry you while in-mission.”

“I’m touched.” Roy muttered as he poked his head out into the hallway, and seeing it was clear, exited quietly. “I’m on my way out now.”

“Excellent. I have one last trick for the Flash. It will buy you the time you need. Onslaught out.”

Roy fumed under his breath as he walked towards the entrance. He had been gone about five minutes, but an excuse quickly formed in his mind. Stowing the case under the rear passenger seat, he reached into the boot and grabbed his bow and quiver. 

 

Onslaught grinned under his armor, as Roy reported his success; finally, they were making progress. He saw the Flash dart towards him, and leapt backwards out of reach, waiting for the other Metahuman to follow him across the street. With a clench of his fist, Onslaught rapidly increased the gravity around the nearby fire hydrants crushing them down and turning them into miniature rockets as the pressure of the water built up and was eventually released as Onslaught opened his fist.

Barry ducked the first one as it fired across his head and tore through a police car with the impact. The second one however, barrelled into his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs and igniting a wave of pain along his ribs. “Argh!” He looked up to find himself staring at the mysterious figure floating above him. What he had assumed was some sort of armor plating, was more like a gel, oozing around and out of the Metahuman’s body. “Why are you doing this?” The head rolled backwards as the Metahuman spread his palms as if to say “Why not?” Barry frowned, hearing the rolling reports from Cisco and Caitlin in his ear. He perked up when they mentioned that CPD had sent out more reinforcements. But before he could ask who it was, the strange Metahuman had turned away. “Hey! We’re not done yet!”

Onslaught paused at Barry’s defiant tone, looking back to see the injured hero stand up, bent over, spitting blood from his mouth. “No?” He spoke harshly, “Very well then. Let’s see how fast you can run, when there’s nothing to run on!” Onslaught spread his arms out wide and then thrust them upwards, sending the entire square and its streets into the air. The gas and power mains ruptured suddenly and a fireball erupted, scorching Barry as he was flung upwards along with the fracturing pavement. He stumbled as the Metahuman in front of him shredded the brick and concrete until they were nothing more than dust on the wind, and then Barry was floating in mid-air, unable to move. He glanced down at the devastated crater that had been the most popular gathering place in the city only twenty minutes before. An unfamiliar emotion crept up his spine and the hero tasted fear in his mouth. Onslaught floated in closer to him, reaching out a spiked gauntlet in an almost loving gesture, before gripping Barry’s suit tightly, the fabric tearing under his strength. “I could kill you now, crush your bones to dust,” He snarled, but then smiled, feeling the swirling vortex that replaced his face twist slightly in reflection. “But where would be the fun in that? When I can watch you scurry around, when I can enjoy perverse delights such as this.” Onslaught raised his other hand and heard Barry groan as the lightless police office floated into view.

“You! What…How…”

“Silence!” Onslaught barked, pulling away from them, leaving Barry to glance between him and Eddie. 

“What do you-“

“I know exactly what I want. It’s a classic: choose. Justice or desire?” Onslaught adjusted the gravity field slightly and Eddie dropped suddenly with a yelp, before being halted some twenty feet off the ground. The cop was brought back up to be level with Barry and Onslaught laughed darkly. “Understand?”

“Yeah.” Barry replied bitterly. He couldn’t move anything below his neck, as though paralysed completely. It felt strange, like he was both weightless and constrained at the same time. “You win…”

“What the hell are you doing?” Eddie yelled at him, but the Flash ignored the handsome detective and nodded his surrender.

“Excellent.” Onslaught let them descend slowly and returned the space to normal gravity a few inches from the ground, using the time to augment his own gravity field and fly out of sight. The Metahuman hid in the smoke cloud and once he was sure he had been fully obscured, he let his body return to normal; silver grey and smooth. He touched down beside a crushed cop car and glanced around. “We’re alone.”

_Ok, let me in, a human will draw less attention._

“Agreed.” Onslaught closed his eyes and Kyle opened them, gasping slightly as the metal drained back inside his skin, leaving bruises where the battle had touched him. He shivered slightly after the sudden change, and buttoned his shirt close, pulling sunglasses from a pocket to hide his kaleidoscope eyes. “Damn, that was…tough.” Paramedics passed him by as he leant against the car for support.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Huh?” He muttered beneath his breath. “Yeah, no, I’m…I’m fine.” He added in response to the EMT’s hand on his arm. “Just got separated from my friends.”

“Police cordon is five hundred feet that way.” The man pointed and Kyle nodded, not needing to faking his sudden weakness or his urge to vomit. “Hang on, sir, I’ll grab someone to bring you down.”

“Thanks.” He waited for the EMT to leave, before reaching up and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, grimacing at the smear of blood. “Damn it, Onslaught. You said I’d have more time.” Kyle spoke softly to himself, his words slow as fatigue spread through him.

_I see. It appears this battle was particularly demanding. I’m sorry, I did not think the merge would come so soon._

“Ugh, yeah.” Kyle spat and bent over at the knees. “This better be fucking worth it.” He felt a reassuring hand on his back and looked up, nodding at the youthful cop. “Thanks.”

“Uh, this way…” The officer looked shell shocked, staring at the destruction. “Was it a bomb?”

“Must’ve been.”

 

Barry looked nervously at unconscious Eddie, testing the police officer’s pulse. “Ok, you’re alive. Ok, ok, um. Cisco, Caitlin, you there?”

“Yeah we’re here. Coms just cut out before the blast hit.” There was a pause, then Caitlin added. “Uh, Roy’s still here. He’s asking if you want him in the field; he has his bow and all.”

“No, uh, no. place is crawling with cops and fire department and everything.” He checked Eddie again, before looking over the side of the building he had run to. “Better off just to stay there. I’ve got Detective Thawne with me, he got caught in the crossfire.”

“The Metahuman?”

“He, um, he got away.” Barry hesitated and looked down as Eddie stirred in his lap, cradling the cop’s head with one hand. “Nearest hospital is CC General, right?”

“Yes, they’re going to be crowded out though. Well,” She hesitated, Barry could hear keys being tapped and a mouse clicking. “I’m actually not seeing any major casualties here; no fatalities reported, lots of minor cuts and bruises though. And then panic of course. Is he badly injured?”

“Not really, concussion maybe. He fell.” Barry paused, looking out at the smoke drifting across the city. “Should I bring him back to Star Labs?”

“Yes.” Caitlin spoke after a moment and Barry nodded with relief.

“See you in a second.”

 

Roy stared at the destruction playing out on the screens in front of him, looking up as Barry arrived a few seconds after signing off with Caitlin. He had the detective in his arms and hurried him into the nearby medical room, placing him gently on the bed. Caitlin and Cisco walked in after him, but Roy lingered outside, fiddling with his bow. The Metahuman walked back out, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Damn, that was…I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Pretty intense, huh?” Roy replied as Barry gave him a small smile. “Did you not get him?”

“He, uh, he had a hostage, I had to let him get away.” Barry muttered, avoiding the archer’s eyes. “He, well I think it was a guy, he had the ability to make stuff fly. I wasn’t able to move or anything.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Roy placed a hand on Barry’s shoulder and looked him in the eye, “Sometimes the bad guy gets away. You saved who you could and no one died. That’s pretty awesome.”

Barry grinned a little and nodded at him, patting Roy’s hand. “Yeah.”

Roy licked his dry lips, the memory of how Barry had oiled up that hunk and grinded against him coming to the surface of his thoughts. Caitlin had closed the door behind her as they examined Eddie. Roy gestured to the far side of the room, “Hey, um, Barry, I know this isn’t really the right time, but, uh, I did come up here for a reason.”

“I thought you wanted some samples ran, or something?” 

“No, that was just an excuse.” Roy muttered, feeling his cheeks go red. “I actually wanted to apologise to you; for how I acted last year, with you and Oliver and everything. I’m sorry.”

Barry frowned at him and then smiled, “Hey, no problem Roy. Water under the bridge.” He looked sideways at the archer, adding, “Was there something else?”

“Uh, actually,” Roy swallowed and looked him in the eye again. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me? I mean, when we met last week, I felt this connection between us, and, well, you’re really fucking hot!” Roy finished breathlessly as Barry blinked.

“Um, wow. Ok. I mean, it’s, that’s really nice of you, Roy, but, uh-“

“You’re not interested.” Roy interrupted and turned away disappointed.

“No!” Barry reached out to grab his arm, “I’m interested in you, sure; you’re hot and pretty smart and a bit of a badass, if I’m being honest. But, yeah, there’s someone else. Kind of.” He smirked a little at that. “He doesn’t really know, or at least acts like he doesn’t.”

“Huh.” Roy frowned at him and was about to speak when Caitlin opened the door.

“Barry; he’s awake.” She gestured behind her as the Flash changed out of his ripped costume and into his regular clothes in an instant. “I told him that the Flash dropped him here, And you and Cisco carried him inside. He’s quite groggy: mild concussion, but he should be fine.”

“Great!” Barry pushed past Roy and hurried into the medical lab.

The archer watched him go and nodded to himself. “It's the cop, then. Whatever…”

 

Roy killed the engine as he rolled into their arranged meeting place and looked at the smoke that still drifted across the Central City skyline. He got out and leant on the hood as Onslaught emerged from a nearby building. “You didn’t pick up the radioactive suitcase.” Roy commented drily.

The Metahuman didn’t reply, instead settling down onto his feet and walking over to the passenger door. His metallic armor melted back under his skin and Roy watched him return to Kyle. “Sorry,” The man’s normally tanned face was pale and drawn, voice leaden. “The fight was more intense than I thought. Can we…Can we leave now?”

Roy grimaced at him, but nodded sharply. “Fine. Get in.”

Kyle pulled on the door handle and collapsed into the seat, struggling to pull the seatbelt around himself. Roy fired the engine and drove in silence until they got on the highway. “So what was that back there? You said it was gonna be a distraction? Maybe bust a few windows, break some street furniture. It looked like a terrorist bomb had gone off!” Roy spat angrily at him. “I mean, seriously, Kyle? You said no one would get hurt.”

“I said no one would be killed.” Kyle corrected tiredly. “And no one was. But, you've got a point, it was…worse than I expected.”

“Can’t you control it? Control him?”

“It doesn’t work like that: we’re not Firestorm, not two separate entities fused together and taken apart. I am Onslaught and Onslaught is Kyle.” The Metahuman stared out the window as he spoke, “This was the hardest one, the most public piece. Everything else should be easier, or at least, more covert.”

"Always the mission." Roy shook his head and glanced sideways at him. He opened his mouth to speak but then frowned, noting the thousand-yard stare and otherwise grim expression on Kyle’s face. Roy clicked his tongue and backed down. “Right, of course. He’s always there. I guess I just thought it was easier to think of you guys as separate beings.”

Kyle grunted, hearing the other thoughts echo in his mind; _Not exactly untrue. Why did you tell that?_

_It was necessary. Soon, it’ll be true, won’t it? You’ll become the dominant one?_ Kyle thought back, hearing a laugh in response.

_Hehe, only if we miss our window of opportunity, Kyle. If we can return successfully, I will be able to part us, and you will be free to live the rest of your life as a normal human._

“Great.” Kyle muttered aloud, earning a confused glance from Roy.

_Is that not what you wanted? Why you changed the weapon into the Device it is now?_

Kyle didn’t reply as he saw Onslaught nod his understanding in his mind’s eyes, almost feeling the heavy hand on his shoulder as the Metahuman smiled at him sadly. 

 

Later that night as Kyle slept soundly on the couch, Roy watched him from the kitchen, stirring a cup of coffee absently. His mind spun with the day’s events, but despite everything, it was their morning conversation that stuck with him the most. “Oliver…” He muttered to himself and looked at the piece of paper he had kept hidden in a forgotten book; the archer’s number scrawled there. Safe keeping; just in case; an emergency; Roy had told himself when he wrote the details down several months ago. Now though…

 

He drew back the arrow and grunted as it released, watching it sail through the air until it made contact with the metal roof. The explosive head of the arrow detonated and he winced slightly at the massive fireball that erupted from the center of the train. Oliver drew back his hood as the heat bloomed across his face, glancing to one side before he remembered…He might have returned to Starling-Star-City, but Roy was still gone. There was a dull ache in his chest and the Arrow sighed heavily. “I’m sorry Roy…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel like I need to put in a PSA here…but, uh, I some used artistic licence on the rimming scene, so, uh, folks, please exercise adequate protection/hygiene measures prior to engaging in such activity…


	5. The Mustering

Kyle blinked his eyes awake, an already half-forgotten dream pulling at his thoughts. He frowned and shook his head clear, stumbling upright and walking over to the sink. The Metahuman glanced out the window as he absently floated a glass over to the tap and filled it with water. Taking a sip, Kyle looked to one side as something caught his eye; Roy was hard at work in the warm sunlight, chopping firewood. The archer was shirtless and the Metahuman took a moment to run his eyes over the young man’s perfect form; his muscled chest heaving with exertion as sweat beaded on his skin and dripped down his chest. Roy’s arms worked methodically: picking up the logs, setting them down on the block and grasping the shaft of the axe firmly before bringing it down in one uniform stroke, over and over. Kyle smiled a little and drained the last of his water.

Roy glanced up, wiping the sweat from his brow, the sun hot on his naked shoulders, but pleasingly warming at the same time. He watched the Metahuman walk towards him and then reached for another log, setting it on the block. “Hey.” He called out as Kyle leaned against the stacked wood opposite him.

“Morning.” Kyle nodded politely at the locals rowing past towards the island in the center of the lake. Roy half turned and raised his hand in greeting as the teenagers waved back. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah, still have chores to do, you know.”

“Right.” Kyle floated up a log for him to chop once the boat disappeared from view. 

“Thanks.” Roy smirked at the novelty.

“Keeps you looking fit too.”

Roy raised a brow at the compliment and mock flexed, before laughing and splitting the wood in half. “Well, it's not like I’m hunting deer in the forest or anything, gotta keep the strength up. Just in case.” He shrugged, then added, “Plus, it’s not like they got a gym here.”

“Small community.” Kyle commented and chose another log for Roy to chop. “So…”

“Yeah?”

“Last night you were pretty angry.”

“Yeah.” Roy dropped the axe blade into the block and leaned back, resting a hand on the end of the shaft “Are you…I don’t know, I was going to ask if you were you, but-“

“One and the same.” Kyle nodded. “It’s just a question of swapping out personalities; I’m better at human stuff, he’s better at controlling the powers. Most of the time.” He added in response to Roy’s cynical grunt. 

“Right…But you were exhausted last night, we barely got in the door and you were asleep.”

There was a pause as Kyle examined his fingernails, then he met Roy’s eyes. “I don’t know what to tell you. When I worked for ARGUS, they were talking about controlling Metahumans, using their abilities for good. Or whatever passed for good…” He stopped talking, suddenly faraway. “But I was cynical, I thought-knew-that eventually they’d turn on us, or we’d turn on them; so I came up with the weapon: The Device.”

“Is it, though?”

“What?” Kyle frowned, confused.

“A weapon?”

The Metahuman was silent again, then shrugged. “Yeah, just a weapon. Powerful, though, that’s why we need to keep it out of the wrong hands.”

“So you’re gonna destroy it?”

“Yeah.”

Roy stared at him for a moment, it wasn’t that he didn’t believe Kyle, but there was that distant quality to his voice again. He dismissed it and gestured to where a glass of ice water was. “Pass me that please?”

Kyle nodded and walked over to pick up the glass, handing it to Roy. The archer smiled at him and the Metahuman felt an uncomfortable clench in his stomach; being so near to Roy, Kyle bit his lip and turned away, already feeling his cock bulge in his pants. He could feel Onslaught pressing on his mental walls, normally so porous, wanting to take control. He flinched at a sudden spike of pain, _Back off!_

_You are not well, let me take control._

_It’ll pass._ Kyle responded wearily as he felt his phone buzz against his leg,

“Hey, you ok?” Roy called out to him and the Metahuman turned back to look at him, nodding.

“Yeah, yeah, just tired is all.” Kyle ignored his concerned glance, reaching inside his pocket to pull out his phone, opening the secure message. “I’ve just heard from my contact regarding the final Component.”

“Final? I thought there were two left?”

“Yeah, but I know where the Ignition Key is: the illustrious General has it. This, however, appears to have been in your old hunting ground since I left. Interesting.” He frowned in annoyance at something Roy couldn’t see, then slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“Starling City?”

“Star City.” Kyle corrected gently.

“Will you need me?” Roy leaned against the woodpile next to him, feeling the rough surface scratch his back.

“No. I know where it’s being kept; low security. Fools.” He paused, tilting his head upwards as the sun bathed his face, trying not to look at the shirtless archer beside him. “Besides it’s better that you don’t become any more involved in this than you already have.”

“ARGUS have it, don’t they?”

“Yup.”

“So, what am I expected to do?” Roy asked, brow quirked. “Work out and look hot for the day?”

“I can think of few things better.” Kyle grinned at him, but then shrugged, his smile slipping off his face. “I guess, whatever you did before I interrupted your life.” 

“Huh.”

They lapsed into silence after that. Roy studying the Metahuman, concern etched across his face, while Kyle closed his eyes against the sun.

 

The security guard frowned at the abruptly cut off cry. He grasped his radio in one hand and unclasped his pistol, without drawing it. Rounding a corner, he blinked in surprise at the crumpled figures of his security team. “What the-Argh!” He cried out and was silenced by a stealthy black-clad figure. 

Kyle finished subduing the man and rolled him over, patting his pockets for a key card. “Got it.” He muttered to himself and straightened up. There was a prickling feeling at the back of his neck and he threw himself flat as an arrow whistled overhead. Kyle rolled over and ducked behind the little cover there was on the open ground between warehouses. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a flashbang grenade. Peeping over the crate, he saw a dark green figure detach itself from the other warehouse roof and drop to the ground, springing upright, bow in hand. _The Green Arrow…This is not ideal._ He heard Onslaught whisper in his mind.

“No, I got this; just need to get close.” Kyle waited until Oliver got nearer to him, before leaping up and tossing the grenade at the archer. He dropped flat to ground and covered his face, earbuds already in place in anticipation of a firefight. There was a scream of white light and a tremendous bang. Kyle got up after a moment and ran towards the hunched over figure, one hand trying to clear his eyes while the other was loosely holding his bow. The Metahuman kicked that hand first, sending the weapon skidding across the ground, next he punched at Oliver’s face, but the Green Arrow was faster than he expected. 

Oliver blocked the first punch, then the next, he got a swift kick in that caused his attacker to grunt, though pushing him backwards suddenly with a force that felt unnatural. The archer was bowled over and found himself sprawling next to his bow. He reached over and scrabbled for it, pulling a micro-explosive arrow onto the string, even as the man approached him. Oliver stared at him through streaming eyes, his ears still ringing dully. “Stay back!” He warned, but the man ignored him, continuing to approach. The Green Arrow swore under his breath, but released the arrow, seeing it detonate just in front of his attacker.

The arrow slowed in front of him as Kyle made the projectile weightless and motionless. The red light on the tip still blinked and he threw up his arms in front of his face just as it exploded. The fireball was small, non-lethal, but it still would have seared the flesh from his arms at that close of a range. Almost without feeling it, the liquid metal skin covered his body and absorbed the heat. Kyle blinked, unused to being encased in the armor with all his senses so alive; normally they were dulled by Onslaught being dominant.

 

The Green Arrow stood up and pointed his rearmed bow at the shimmering metallic man in front of him. He frowned and lowered the weapon slightly as the metal faded away and the figure offered his hands, palm up. The archer followed the man’s movements as he slowly pulled back a cowl that had hid his face, reaching up to remove a balaclava that covered the rest of his features.

Kyle stuffed the clothing into his pocket and grinned slightly, noticing Oliver was uneasy before him. “What’s the matter, Green Arrow, don’t you remember me?”

Oliver frowned, then nodded. “Yeah. You’re the Metahuman. The one Roy knew?”

“That’s right.” He looked deliberately at the bow in Oliver’s hands. “I don’t mean you any harm.”

“Then why did you attack me?”

“You attacked first.” The Metahuman replied with an easy smile, but Oliver noticed it didn’t extend to his slowly revolving irises.

“Didn’t know it was you.” Oliver shrugged. “Reports of someone sneaking around a top secret ARGUS facility in the middle of the afternoon can do that.”

“Hmm.” Kyle nodded, “So you’re back, _Green Arrow_?”

“You sound different.” Oliver spoke warily, ignoring the question but lowered his bow and relaxed the string.

“Yeah, you could say that I’ve become more comfortable as a Metahuman; gained a greater understanding of what it means to have this power: this other personality inside. But Kyle Westen is still here.”

“Right. Of course.” Oliver licked his dry lips and added, “Are you here for me, at last?”

“Your attempt to kill or disable me? Your failure in securing my freedom from Ra’s al Ghul?” Kyle shook his head. “No, my being dead suited both our purposes, right? For a time, at least. Relax Oliver, if I wanted revenge, you’d already be dead. You’re just a human after all.” The Metahuman smiled again, cold, serious. “I’m not in Star City for you.”

“What then? What’s going on?” Oliver demanded.

Kyle studied him for a moment, head on one side. Oliver had the feeling that there was an unheard conversation occurring out of earshot as the Metahuman seemed to nod at nothing and his hands began the shape of a gesture before returning to stillness. After a few minutes the Metahuman nodded. “Very well. I’ll tell you, if only to ensure you don’t attack me again.”

The archer grunted and gestured for him to continue.

“Fine. I’m after something very specific; a piece of technology that belongs to me. ARGUS have it here, though they do not understand the value of what they hold.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“It's part of a weapon, but I’m not gonna use it.” Kyle held up his hands to stall Oliver’s objections. “In fact, that’s why I’m taking the Component back: to ensure it is never used as a weapon.”

The Green Arrow grumbled under his breath, but then shrugged. “Is there anything else?”

“I don’t expect you to understand, and I wouldn’t ask for your help, but since you’re here…”

“Yeah, not interested.” Oliver replied shortly and turned to go, missing Kyle’s sudden grin.

“I know where Roy is!” He called after him, seeing the archer stop walking. “I’ll even tell you the exact location he is living in.”

“And why do you think I care about Roy?” Oliver’s face was carefully smooth, tone neutral, if controlled. “If I wanted to find him, I could have.”

“I doubt that; you let him slip through your fingers. You lost the best thing that ever happened to you, Oliver Queen. Are you telling me you don’t want the opportunity to get that back? And I’m offering it to you; all I need is a little help in return.”

Oliver glared at him, the words sneaking under his walls and probing at feelings he had buried months before. There was a truth in them that he didn’t want to acknowledge, the archer looked up into Kyle’s disconcerting stare. “Is he alright?”

“He’s safe, probably the safest he’s ever been. But I don’t think he’s happy.”

“And me suddenly turning up would change that?”

“Perhaps.” Kyle shrugged, choosing his next words with care, “I think that Roy was only ever happy, if you want to call it that, when he was with you; running and gunning, chasing down the bad guys, saving the day. The quiet life doesn’t suit him. Perhaps that was why he agreed to help me in the first place.” The Metahuman watched Oliver for his response, waiting to see if his words had any effect.

_Poking the bear, I believe you call it?_ Kyle smirked as Onslaught’s words echoed in his mind. He nodded minutely, unnoticed by the archer who was staring at the ground, brows furrowed. “Well Oliver, a favour for a favour?”

The Green Arrow looked up and nodded. “Fine, but non-lethal take-downs, and just this weapon part: nothing else.” Kyle smiled in understanding and pulled out his balaclava to obscure his face again. “Wait, why don’t you use your Metahuman powers?”

“I don’t need to.” Kyle walked towards the door at the rear of the warehouse, gesturing at the cameras. “Already disabled, don’t worry. Doors are locked magnetically; the only real security feature here. Besides,” He added in response to Oliver’s original question, “I like doing things this way; reminds me that I was someone before my powers consumed me.”

Oliver blinked at his tone, but followed the ex-agent inside as he hacked the door computer.

 

The interior was dark, light barely filtering in from the dusty windows above. Crates were packed in long lines of shelves and containers formed a complex maze around them. Oliver held out a hand, whispering, “Anyone one else here?”

“Should be someone in office and perhaps another guarding the experimental equipment.”

“I thought you said this was a low security facility. Why would there be that sort of thing here?” Oliver asked, puzzled.

Kyle glanced at him and shrugged. “Used to be a transit hub between Central City and the main test facility for ARGUS tech in the States, I doubt much has changed since I ran the station here. Come on.” He led Oliver through the maze of crates and boxes, coming to a halt near the office at the opposite side of the warehouse. “Good, they haven’t been alerted. External security is run through the control box in the docklands proper; I took care of that before I came here.” Kyle explained as Oliver frowned disapprovingly. The Metahuman laughed softly. “No one is dead, got a program looping video and audio; they won’t notice for a while. Now…Hey, do you have any of those smoking arrows?”

Oliver nodded, “Yeah. Target?”

“Fire through the window, I’ll deal with the security guard, you take the administrator.” He pulled a gas mask from his other pocket and fixed it securely across his face. Oliver raised a brow, but Kyle ignored him, “Go.”

The Metahuman waited for the arrow to crash through the glass and engulf the room in clouds of thick green smoke. He walked through the security door, using the key card he had taken from the guard to enter. There was a grunt and the sound of a body hitting the floor; the Green Arrow had taken care of the administrator. Kyle listened to the hurried sounds of the guard in the next room, as he struggled to pull out his gun and swipe the door at the same time. It was but the work of a moment to disarm him and knock him unconscious. Kyle looked around the room, as Oliver emerged from the cloud of smoke, watching him as he opened a large silver case. “This is. Good, looks like they didn’t turn it on…” He muttered to himself as the archer walked behind him, looking at the object nestled in the foam. It was cubic in nature, about the size of Oliver’s hand, with a long, slender bar that extended outwards for almost a foot. He frowned at it, there was no evidence that the object was built in the conventional sense; it looked as though it was composed of a single piece of metal.

“What is it?” He asked in a hushed tone, immediately feeling stupid.

“Power.” Kyle answered cryptically and shut the case with a snap. “Let’s go.”

“What about the rest of the equipment?” Oliver gestured at the other cases and boxes.

“Irrelevant. Are you coming?”

“Yeah, sure.” Oliver frowned, watching him leave. 

 

Onslaught stood at the end of the pier, watching the sun set; turning the clouds to flame and the star to a massive orange ball. The case was between his feet and he could hear Oliver stopping behind him. “It’s beautiful isn’t it? I have been to many places in my years of travelling, but I think this world is my favorite.” He turned to regard the archer thoughtfully, tendrils of his dull silver armor reaching across his arms and pooling around his neck. “Kyle said he would tell you where to find Roy Harper.”

“Why don’t you just take me to him?” Oliver asked as Onslaught hesitated, his calculating stare boring into the archer. “Please, I need to talk to him, you were right. Even if…even if nothing changes between us, I need him to know, tell him I’m sorry, about everything.”

“Uh, perhaps another…” The Metahuman trailed off, head tilted on one side as if listening to someone else, which Oliver figured he must be. “Perhaps...that would be acceptable, after all. There are…other affairs which we need to take care of.”

“We?” Oliver echoed, but then blinked, understanding what Onslaught meant. “You and Kyle?”

“Indeed. Step closer and I will take you there.” There was the flash of a smile before metal covered his face completely and Oliver stood in front of him, glancing around before his eyes snapped back onto the Metahuman’s featureless armor. He felt suddenly weightless and together they began to drift upwards. Onslaught raised his arms slightly as the case floated between them. Once they had reached a suitable height he inclined his head at Oliver and released the gravity field, sending them falling towards the harbour. He recreated it after a moment and used their momentum to propel them across the water, a furrow forming in their wake. Oliver had closed his eyes, and kept a firm grip on the bow as they covered the miles with ease, Onslaught glancing from side to side, passing through the lights of urban towns and then the pinpricks of farms and open fields, night falling around them, until at last they were drifting over the tops of leafy trees, swaying gently in the breeze of their passing; nothing ahead but more forests and the occasional cluster of lights.

 

Oliver looked up to see the Metahuman rise slowly above lake, the case safely stowed away. Moonlight glinted off his silvery form, turning him into something almost magical. The archer had been dropped off at the treeline, just out of sight of the cabin, although Oliver could see Roy move about the well-lit rooms through the windows. He felt his breath catch in his throat as caught sight of the young man. “Damn.” He whispered softly, before dusting himself off and walking out of the trees. Oliver stopped at the door, fixing his bow to his back and pulling his hood down, uncovering his face.

Roy stood still by the front door, almost certain he had heard a noise outside. He scrabbled through a nearby drawer, pulling out the first thing at hand; Oliver’s dart. The archer stared at it for a moment, remembering when the Arrow had given it to him. He almost jumped out of his skin when there was a loud knock at the door. “Ah! Yeah, uh, coming!” Roy stuffed the dart into his pocket and unlocked the door, pulling it open. "Uh..."

“Hi Roy.” Oliver spoke gently, seeing the surprise on his face. “Um.”

“Oliver? What are you, how did you find me?”

“It doesn’t matter.” The Green Arrow shrugged and Roy couldn’t help but glance down at his arms, bare in the new armor.

“Uh, new suit?”

“Yeah,” Oliver held out his arms and bunched his biceps slightly. “Do you like it?”

Roy met his eyes briefly and looked away. “Yeah I guess, more flesh is always good right?”

Oliver frowned, about to correct him, but saw the small smirk on Roy’s lips and grinned sheepishly. “I suppose, but then you always liked yours tight, huh, Arsenal?”

The younger man shrugged and nodded for Oliver to enter. “Of course, though I don’t go by that name anymore.”

“Oh? Something else?”

“I…” Roy trailed off as he filled the kettle with water. He turned to where Oliver was looking at the equipment stacked around the living room. “Why are you here, Oliver?”

“Is this yours? Are you preparing for Doom’s Day or something?” Oliver asked with a laugh.

“It belongs to Onslaught-Kyle-he’s on a mission. And this his house after all.” Roy explained as the Green Arrow glanced at him in surprise. “But why are you here? Did something happen?”

“Yeah.” He took a breath and held Roy’s gaze, “Something happened to us. You and me.”

“There is no you and I, Oliver. I don’t think there ever was.” Roy turned away, his tone hard and made the coffee, giving his hands something to do. “If that’s why you’re here-“

“No, please, Roy. I…I was stupid, Merlyn and-“

“Stop, Oliver!” Roy spoke across him, “Too much has come between us to…the past is dead. Can we just move on?”

Oliver nodded and accepted the offered cup, changing the subject. “So, you’re working with the Metahumans, now?”

“Just the one. Like I said, he’s on a mission. I think it’ll be his final one: he has that look in his eyes.” Roy sat on the opposite end of the couch to Oliver. 

“And what, he retires here with you?”

“I think of worse things.” Roy snapped back, before his tone softened. “No, he’s gonna leave, if there’s one thing I know how to recognise, it’s when people are gonna leave. Everyone else has, why not him?”

Oliver frowned at the bitterness in the man’s voice and reached out to touch his knee. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you, Roy, in fact, I want you back in my life.”

Roy looked at him and shrugged. “Well, love was never the problem between us, was it?”

“Love?”

“Lust then; desire. Your-our-feelings for each other.” Roy broke their gaze and instead looked into the crackling fire. “I wanted you from the moment I met you, huh, well, really, it was the Arrow I wanted. I actually thought you a bit of dick when I first met Oliver Queen. Of course, I was with Thea then, still hiding. But for months it was a secret desire, purely sexual, no emotion to it really. The Arrow was so mysterious, but strong and brave and had, has, this dominant masculinity to him. Like I said, I wanted him.”

“What changed?”

“I got to know the Arrow, got to understand him, see his heroics, his sacrifices, up close. In a way it was the Arrow I fell in love with, Oliver Queen was just in the way. He was the man my hero turned into during the day: the businessman, the family man, the man with the reputation for chasing women. How could I possibly reconcile the two?” Roy glanced at Oliver and smirked. “You know; the Internet is pretty lousy out here, been reading a lot lately; Kyle’s got a massive library in his, my, room.”

“I’m not complaining. That was beautiful.” Oliver moved closer to him, “Sad though. Is that how you always felt?”

“Yeah, most of the time.” Roy didn’t say anything else and Oliver sipped his coffee as the freshly chopped wood burnt in the fireplace.

 

Barry looked up from his notes at a knock on his door. “Yes?”

“Uh, sorry, Mr Allen, there’s an agent downstairs, says he’s from Homeland Security? A, uh,” The officer glanced down at a scrap of paper in her hand, “Kyle Westen?”

“Um, what does he want?”

“The terrorist attack on the city yesterday, said he wanted to talk to the tech handling the case. He mentioned you by name.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, send him up.” Barry stood up nervously, gathering his notes from the table, dropping half of them on the floor. “Damn.” He hadn’t even got a report ready for the Captain yet, never mind some random counter-terrorism agent. Still, the name sounded familiar…

“Barry Allen, I presume?” 

Barry looked up from where he was kneeling on the ground. “Oh, hi. I...have we met?”

“Friend of Roy’s, remember?” Kyle reached out his hand and pulled Barry up. He put his ID back into his pocket and closed the door behind him. “I’m not really with Homeland Security.”

“You’re a Metahuman, right?” Barry smiled at him. “So what do you want? Is Roy okay? He was a bit…upset, I guess, when he left.”

“Yeah, yeah I know about that. He’s just lonely, not much to do out there. And you are very,” Kyle deliberately paused and smirked knowingly at Barry, causing the other Metahuman to flush, “nice. But, uh, no, I am actually interested in hearing how the investigation is going. It’s obviously one of us, right?”

“Metahuman?”

Kyle nodded.

“Yeah,” Barry sighed, “I don’t get it though, he knew who I was, caused massive destruction, but didn’t kill anyone.”

“Huh.”

Barry looked at him, “You know something?”

Kyle appeared to pause, looking uncomfortable. After a moment he spoke. “One of my old contacts out of Qurac sent me an interesting titbit a few months ago. This new Metahuman was wreaking havoc out there; doing what you described, lots of damage but no fatalities. Had the ability to move things without touching them: I thought telekinesis at first, but then there was evidence of what she called ‘metal worms.’ Burrowing into the ground and erupting from underneath buildings and cars, tearing chunks out of the earth.”

“Sounds like our guy.”

“Indeed. Unfortunately, my contact, a deep cover ARGUS operative, was discovered a month ago. She’s likely dead by now.”

“That’s awful!” Barry gasped, but Kyle shrugged.

“Those are the risks. Still, when Roy told me what had happened, I thought maybe you could track occurrences or something?” 

"Star Labs could try that," Barry nodded and Kyle turned to leave. “Hey? Can I ask you something, Kyle?”

The Metahuman stopped moving and looked back at him, “Sure, what is it?”

“I...Do you want to go for a drink?”

“Reject Roy and come on to me?” He replied in surprise.

“No, I didn't mean it like that.” Barry shook his head quickly, “Just, I…I just haven’t met any other Metahuman like you. I wanted to talk.”

“I’m one of a kind after all! Not trying to take over the world helps, I guess.” Kyle smirked at him but his grin softened as Barry nodded. “I’m free and no one else really understands, do they?”

“Um, yeah, ok. I know a place nearby.” Barry grabbed his coat and Kyle followed him out, frown creasing his brow. He wasn’t sure that the Flash had believed his story, but even still, just to plant the seeds of doubt in his mind would be enough for now. Besides he was quite intrigued by the other Metahuman and what he wanted to discuss.

 

Roy glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece as it chimed the hour. The coffee had gone cold and even though they had talked, it was safe things, quiet murmurs and exchanging news like this was some regular thing. Oliver followed his gaze and nodded to himself.

“Ok, I, uh, better get going.”

“Where?”

“Well, I figured Felicity might-“

“Felicity, right.” Roy muttered.

“Send the car up.” Oliver finished, standing up. “Look, Roy, I know you said you don’t want to talk about the past, and I don’t want to force you. But can we at least stay in touch, please?”

The younger man looked at Oliver’s sincere expression, and nodded. “I guess I can agree to that. I’ll get you my number.”

Oliver watched him stand and his eyes followed him around the room. “Thanks,” He replied as Roy offered him a scrap of paper, giving his card in return. “Here. Um.” Oliver leaned forward to pull Roy into a hug, feeling the archer go rigid in his embrace, before relaxing a little. 

Roy pulled away as Oliver lingered in front of him. He could see that the Green Arrow wanted something more, but Roy cast his eyes down, and whispered. “No, I can’t. Not yet.”

“Oh, ok. I…I miss you, Roy.” Oliver gripped his shoulder in one hand and swiftly kissed the top of Roy’s head, feeling the softness of his hair brush against his lips even as the younger man pulled away. “Right, right. I’m going.”

“Yeah.” Roy saw him to the door and shut it after him, a storm of emotions rolling through him. He wasn’t expected to see Oliver again, maybe never again, maybe sometime in the future. But right now, it was still so raw. And he wanted to see this mission with Kyle through, there was something else going on with the Metahuman, but that was always the case with him. Still Roy felt compelled to discover what it was. As for Oliver, he couldn't deny the desire was still there.

 

Kyle finished his drink and swirled the ice around, glancing at Barry as the Flash turned around suddenly from where he had been watching the dancefloor and bar. He frowned as a flush spread up the hero’s neck and made his ears burn. “What is it? See someone you know?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Barry nodded and sunk lower in his seat. He gestured towards a man who had just sat down at the bar; light brown hair, neatly trimmed beard, handsome enough to catch the attention of the other men around him. Kyle smirked a little when he recognised the policeman, but gestured for Barry to continue. “I work with him: Eddie Thawne. He’s a cop; detective, but I…I never expected to see him here…”

“What, can’t a guy get a drink?” Kyle smiled at him, brow raised.

“Yeah, of course. But…I mean, here? I never would’ve thought…” Barry trailed off, wetting his lips as he sipped his soda, while the other Metahuman regarded him thoughtfully before speaking again.

“You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

“What? Well, I, it’s, he’s-“ Barry splutters, “I let that terrorist get away, just to save Eddie. He was the cop the other Metahuman had hostage. It was-“

“Heroic.” Kyle broke in, “But you can’t tell him that, huh?”

“I…no. He’s, well he’s just…gah!” Barry threw up his hands in defeat and slouched deeper into his chair frowning as Kyle smirked at him again. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, just, uh, just wait here.” He downed the ice of his drink, crunching it as he moved through the near empty dancefloor and then up towards the raised bar. Barry frowned as he watched his new friend approach Eddie and sit down.

“Oh no. No, no, no! Oh, please don’t…” He watched them for a few minutes, through the gaps in his fingers, seeing Kyle talking to the cop and then Barry’s eyes widened as he realised the other Metahuman is pointing back at him. “Ugh…”

 

“See him? Barry Allen? Says you guys work together?” Kyle lowered his hand and grinned, clinking his glass against Eddie’s slyly. “Of course, he’s far too shy to say it to your face, but he thinks you’re pretty damn hot!”

“Um.” Eddie blinked in surprise, but a quick glance towards the seats confirmed that it was Barry and he looked like he was trying to get the chair to swallow him up. He looked back to catch the man, Kyle, he had said, watching him. There was something strange about his eyes, but he hid them well in the dim light surrounding the bar. “Uh.”

“So, now you know.” Kyle waited and looked at him expectantly.

“Yeah?” Eddie asked uncertainly.

Kyle grinned and beckoned the barman back over, saying something Eddie couldn’t hear over the music. He turned back and looked towards Barry, this time their eyes meeting, before the younger man quickly glanced away. Eddie felt the familiar drop in his stomach and licked his lips nervously.

“Here.” Kyle pushed two glasses across the bar towards him. Eddie glanced between them and where Barry was sitting before looking back at Kyle. “Well? You gonna go get him, or what?”

 

Barry gulped nervously as he watched them talk, feeling his cheeks burn and his pants bulge when his gaze crossed Eddie’s, sparks flying between them. He was torn between desire and unease: they worked together, for fuck’s sake! Was he crazy, especially considering all that had happened recently? Could they really just go for it? Would he have to tell him he was the Flash? Barry nodded to himself, miserably. Oliver, Roy, even this guy, Kyle, they all got it; but of course they would. How could he explain it to Eddie? How would he take it? The Metahuman shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind; getting ahead of things as usual. Eddie was…well, no matter how much his kinky encounters with Tony gave him delicious pleasure, it was the cop Barry wanted, had wanted ever since that first day they met. And now-

There was a clink of glasses on the table, audible during a lull in the music, breaking into his thoughts. Barry looked up into Eddie’s nervous smile, and let his eyes travel down his shirt, taking in the two buttons undone at the top; the shadows of his collarbone, and down further to the slightly too tight pants. His eyes snapped back up to Eddie’s as the detective shuffled his feet, moistening his lips before speaking.

“Your friend insisted I come over…” Eddie began hesitantly, Barry leaned to one side, looking around him and saw Kyle give him double thumbs up and a grin.

“Oh god,” He muttered to himself, “Yeah, he can be like that…But, um, sit down?”

Eddie smiled at him and pushed the other glass across the table.

Kyle nodded to himself and gestured to the barman for another drink. “I’d say that was a success. Eventually.”

_Indeed._


	6. Balancing

Roy’s eyes blinked awake slowly, his dreams releasing him reluctantly as their sharp images superimposed on the dimly lit room. He rolled over onto his side, the pillow he was hugging still clutched tightly against his shirtless body with one arm. The archer felt unbearably hot, the room too stuffy; it was probably what had woken him up in the first place. He turned onto his back, kicking the sheets off with his feet, tucking his hands under his head. Roy frowned as he tried to recall the rapidly fading fragments of his dream. He had been in a kitchen, well equipped, but not the somewhat cramped one in the cabin. There were pots and pans filled with something that was bubbling, a fancy wooden board placed to one side. He had been cooking; meat and chicken and sauces, all appearing as if by magic, serving a figure whose face he couldn’t make out. Was it himself? It was strange; he simultaneously felt himself preparing the food and then was watching himself place each portion carefully on the board. Roy blinked as the memory sharpened and he realized who it was on the other side of the kitchen, watching him. Oliver. He felt himself smile at the dream; a life of domestic bliss with Oliver? “Pft! Hardly.” He muttered and sat up. There was more to the dream, but Roy didn’t want to dig any deeper, there was something about that scene that spoke to him. Of course, the fact that he had had a visit from Oliver the night before probably influenced what he was dreaming about. Roy had experienced other dreams about Oliver before, but they were usually sex dreams or fantasies that bled into his normal dreams. He stood up, shaking out the sweat pants he had slept in and ran a hand across his naked torso, walking towards the bathroom. 

After relieving himself and splashing water on his face, he looked in on the guest room where Kyle had set up a camping bed, but it was obvious that the Metahuman hadn’t slept in it. “Hmm.” Roy frowned to himself and wandered out to the kitchen, flicking the kettle on with a finger as he looked at the lake. The surface wasn’t as still today, the gusty wind causing ripples to spread across it and form into little waves as they approached the shore. He reached into his pants absently, playing with his morning wood and let his mind wander towards Oliver. Not on anything in particular, more of a general view of the Arrow; his face, those intense eyes watching him, expression relaxed with just the hint of a smile hanging around his lips. Roy could feel himself grinning at the memory. “Huh.” He glanced down at his bulge and shrugged, “Well, it’s not like anyone is here…”

He flicked through the videos on the page, eyes scanning the seemingly endless wall of men, searching for someone who would do, someone close enough to have been Oliver; muscular, slightly older, someone with that intensity of the gaze. He wasn’t going to dig up the encrypted photos or the video he had of that one time Oliver had been injured and Roy took care, and advantage, of him. Because this wasn’t really about Oliver, it was just…Roy sighed, he couldn’t fool himself. It was totally about Oliver. The Arrow coming to him last night, hands out, looking to start again, well, being attracted to the hero had never been the problem. He stopped and lingered over a shirtless hunk, jeans slung low, fingers dragging the waist line down as the man stared at the camera with a sultry gaze. “Yeah, you’re just close enough.” Roy lifted himself upright with his elbow and used his free hand to pull down his sweat pants, spreading his legs to be more comfortable. He hit the play button and leaned back, one hand resting on his chest, the other grasping his hard throbbing cock, slowly moving up and down the thick shaft. 

“Oh yeah, that’s fucking hot!” Roy grunted and sped up, his free hand reaching down between his legs, cupping his balls as his lips parted, eyes focused on the action on screen. His mind went blank as his thoughts focused on the moaning muscular guy getting sucked off, even as his mind’s eye threw up that image of Oliver from earlier. The trashy Euro-pop playing alongside it wasn’t quite jarring enough to make him roll his eyes, but he still muted it and continue to jerk off steadily, attention focused entirely on sliding his hand up and down his cock, the head slipping into sight as precum covered his hand. “Mmh, yeah, oh that’s hot! Yeah, go on, suck him harder!” He urged the twink who knelt down to better take the Oliver lookalike into his mouth. “That’s right, you little-“ He grunted through gritted teeth, muscles bunching in his arm as he increased the pace, feeling his balls draw closer to his body. The older man pushed the twink away from him after a minute or so, gesturing for him to turn around and bend over. “Ahh yeah…that’s gonna be so hot, so tight!” Roy bit his lip, raising his ass off the couch for a moment, legs spreading wider as he gently ran his fingers across the opening, his sweating body making it just slick enough to tease the edge of his hole. “Ugh…yeah, go on, push it in me Oliver!” He grunted, eyes closing, the porn forgotten as he imagined his fingers were Oliver’s thick cock buried in his ass. “Yeah, oh, uh, mmmph! Fuck yeah, fuck me like you mean! Go-oh Oliver! Yeah, Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!” The archer muttered the name loudly as he sped up his pace, feeling close and then suddenly his cum exploded from his cock, the thick ropes spurting up across his abs and arms. “Oh fuck! Yeah! Uh, yes!” Roy gasped, arching his back as his eyes opened, chest heaving. “Fuck, that was hot. Not the best cum ever, but…Ah shit.” He looked down at the mess. 

There was movement from outside that caught his eye and Roy grabbed the back of the couch, pulling himself up just in time to see Onslaught land on the jetty outside. The shimmering metal skin pulled back from his face and Roy could see him looking around, expression hard to read. “Hmm.” He lay back down, reaching a hand over to shut off his laptop. His cock was still half hard though, and the archer absently fondled himself as Onslaught opened the back door. Roy sat up, glancing back at him, grin lingering on his lips. “Hey Onslaught…or Kyle?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He looked at Roy and shrugged. “Sorry, I thought I’d be back last night. There was something I needed to fix.” The silver skin had absorbed back into him completely, leaving the Metahuman in his usual cotton trousers. Roy ran his eyes up and down his smooth torso and felt his cock pulse in his hand. Kyle was looking at him strangely and the archer flushed as he realised the Metahuman could probably see the fresh cum dribbling down from where it had hit his pecs. “Uh, I, uh, I’ll get a shirt.” Kyle averted his eyes, ignoring the swooping feeling in his stomach and moved towards the guest room.

“No, wait.” Roy stood up, seeing the Metahuman turn back towards him. If he was surprised that the archer was naked, Kyle didn’t show it. “Won’t you stay?”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving, just wanted to-“

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Roy interrupted, stepping closer to him, seeing the man’s jaw clench. “What? Don’t you want to?”

“What about…uh, what about Oliver?”

“Huh, I, how did you know? Wait, did you send him?” Roy frowned, the Metahuman’s face unreadable. Then he shrugged, “Does it matter? I thought this was just a casual thing?”

“You just want to get off again.” Kyle replied, weighing the decision up. After a moment he nodded, “Fine. Come on.” 

Roy smirked and followed him into the bedroom.

 

Barry let the computer begin its analysis, the machine slowly whirring up as the fans spun faster. He walked towards the window and leant against the sill, looking out across Central City in the early morning light. The attic lab afforded him a good view and he watched the lights from the cars as they crawled through downtown in the rush hour snarl. Barry’s eyes fixed on a point in the distance as he recalled his unexpected meeting with Kyle an hour earlier. He had been in the coffee shop nearby, waiting in the que when he spotted the familiar man.

“Hey! Kyle!”

“Huh? Oh, hi Barry.” The Metahuman had dark sunglasses covering his eyes, but he nodded at the Flash, cup in one hand. “Morning caffeine craving?”

“Heh, yeah. What are you doing here? I thought you were staying with Roy?”

“That’s right, there was just…a few things I needed to investigate.” He hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip as if unsure what to say. “In fact, if you’ve got time, I can fill you in. Wouldn’t say no to your particular kind of help either.”

Barry looked surprised, but nodded. “Sure, sounds serious.”

“Immeasurably.” Kyle gestured and Barry joined him at a table in the far corner. The Flash sat down as the other Metahuman pulled a small disc out of his pocket, attaching it to the underside of the table. “Communications scrambler. Don’t want anyone listening in.” He glanced around furtively, before nodding. “Ok, we’re safe for now.”

“Is that really necessary?” Barry asked, brow raised.

“What I’m about to tell you is very dangerous; it’s the type of secret people get killed for. And you’re also not going to like it.” He sipped his coffee as Barry stared at him. “Eighteen months ago, I worked for ARGUS, you know them, right?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah, Oliver has had more dealings with them than me though.”

“I had a variety of roles, a number of tasks; station chief, field operative, special research projects co-ordinator. The last one being the most important. We, uh, were told to begin development of counter-Metahuman weaponry: defensive systems, traps, containment units, offensive weapons, and so on.” Kyle glanced up to see Barry’s face grow hard. “This was just after your, our, exposure during the Star Labs disaster. The directive was focused on enhanced human abilities, similar to the mirakuru project, except in reverse. They wanted to remove the threat instead of creating new ones.” He cleared his throat, looked around again and then continued. “So, I was project lead, and about that time I started noticing my own changes; new abilities, new eyes, heh. Perhaps most disturbingly was the new voice, whispering in my ear; our thoughts intertwined and yet still separate; the feeling of another…entity inside my mind. This entity, Onslaught as he called himself, our-self, I guess, had an idea for a machine: a Device capable of exterminating Metahumans but sparing everyone else.”

“What?” Barry barked loudly, before lowering his voice. “You’re telling me you made a doomsday weapon?”

Kyle nodded slowly, “Yeah. With his help and ARGUS’ resources I built the weapon, but I knew that something like this could be used improperly.”

“Gee, ye think?”

“So I separated the pieces, ensured that there was no record of how to properly assemble it, keeping the Shell component for myself. I had intended to retrieve the rest of it, when Onslaught finally trusted me enough to tell me how it worked, but…”

“But?” Barry asked eagerly, glancing away as a waitress brought over his coffee, missing the slight twitch of Kyle’s lips. The Metahuman waited until they were alone again and continued.

“But by that time I was no longer an ARGUS agent, I had faked my death, several times in fact, trying to throw them off the scent. Once I was sure I could operate effectively without drawing too much attention, I knew it was time to continue the mission.”

“Why? Why now? I get that it’s dangerous, but if they haven’t assembled it, if they can’t, then why not just leave them alone?”

“It is my responsibility! You don’t just leave a loose nuke wandering around there because there’s a chance no one will figure out how to abuse its existence.” Kyle snapped at him, before regaining his composure. “Sorry. It’s…”

“There’s something more, isn’t there?” Barry asked, head on one side, analysing the Metahuman. “What’s going on?”

“You’re much more perceptive than Roy.” Kyle said with a smile, then nodded to himself. “But you’re right, ARGUS, and the military commander who has the final component, they don’t really understand the potential of the Device. It’s true it can be used to create vast quantities of energy that will actively seek out any Metahuman and destroy them, but it does have another purpose.”

“Are you going to tell me?” Barry asked, leaning forward slightly.

“Perhaps, if you agree to help me.”

“Aww, come on!”

“As far as Roy and Oliver know the Device is a weapon, just a weapon, and I would prefer for that to remain the case.” 

“Wait, when did you tell Oliver? And why don’t you want to tell them the truth?”

“I seek the Key, the machine will not function without it; it’s a sort of regulator and computer and data store all in one.” Kyle ignored his questions. “The military have it, along with the prototypes of the other anti-Metahuman weapons.”

“And you need my help?”

“The General will move the Key in the next forty-eight hours, it will be our best chance to acquire it without serious casualties. I would be grateful if you’d help us, Barry.” The Metahuman finished, looking across the half empty coffee shop, his gaze lingering on a man in a business suit, noticing that he hadn’t turned a page in his newspaper since they sat down. “Hmm.”

Barry blinked, sipping his coffee. “I, I guess I can help you, I mean if this such a threat?”

“It is. But you must be certain, they will likely attempt to kill or capture us. Are you prepared to do what will be necessary?”

Barry frowned, suddenly getting the feeling he wasn’t speaking to Kyle any longer. “Onslaught?” He whispered, receiving a slight nod in return. “Look, I need to think about this; doomsday weapons aside, I don’t kill people, I try not to hurt them unless they’re hurting someone else.”

“Your pacifism is admirable.” Onslaught replied in a tone that indicated anything but. “However they may not give you the choice, and I need to know if you will make the hard decisions when we’re in combat.” He looked at Barry and the Flash felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

“Uh, I’ll think about it.”

“That will suffice for now.”

“Um, yeah. Can I get Kyle back please?”

“Huh? What is it?” Kyle glanced at him and reached under the table to retrieve the scrambler he had put there earlier. Barry blinked at the sudden change in voice, posture, behaviour, without the other Metahuman having given any outward signs of switching personalities.

“That was really weird, and disconcerting.”

“Sorry, he thought I was taking the long route to asking you for help.” He stood up, “And I have taken too much of your time, I’ll let you get to work. But please think about it?”

“Thanks, yeah. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.” Barry joined him and they walked out onto the street corner, Kyle glancing back in time to see the man with the newspaper stand up and shuffle around, waiting to follow them, unaware he had been discovered.

“No problem.” Kyle replied, and then smirked, nudging his arm. “So? How’d it go last night? You finally get that hot cop on his back, or what?”

“Err, w-what?” Barry spluttered, “I…we, it was nice!”

“Nice?” Kyle echoed back, brow quirked. “So you didn’t ride that hot hunk of manmeat?”

“It wasn’t even a first date!” Barry spluttered at the description of Eddie. “I-I was gonna wait a while…”

“Didn’t know you were such a prude, Barry.” The Metahuman grinned widely at him and Barry pulled at his collar uncomfortably. “Still, I’m sure you’ll get around to it.”

“Yeah, of course, I just; he’s kinda special, you know? I want to do it right, take it slow.”

“Mhh hmm.” Kyle grunted, suddenly distracted by a passer-by. Barry tapping his shoulder. “Huh? Right, I need to take care of something, but, uh, thanks for hearing me out, at least.”

“Sure.” Barry nodded and watched as the Metahuman walked back towards the café, disappearing around the corner. He turned toward the police station and chewed his lip as Kyle’s words swilled around in his mind.

 

Kyle followed the man down the alley until he stopped in the middle, dropping his unread newspaper to the ground. He spoke, but didn’t turn. “Should’ve know you’d make me.”

“Agents should remember to turn the pages occasionally; your sloppiness gave you away. It’s why I don’t think you’re ARGUS. Military?” The spy turned to face the Metahuman, drawing his gun in a smooth motion. The barrel was unusually thick and elongated, and Kyle nodded approvingly at it. “Impressive. Glad to see they’ve improved the design.” The man frowned in confusion. “It’s just unfortunate for you that it is the wrong weapon for this fight.” He drew his own gun in the time it took the spy to look down at his own and back up.

“Wait! I have information! I, I can tell you about the General, his plans, everything!”

“No.” Kyle’s face was neutral as he pointed the gun at the man and squeezed the trigger twice. The weapon coughed in his hand, a suppressor at the end silencing the gunshots. He walked towards the spy’s body and knelt down beside it, searching carefully. “Hmm, nothing of use.”

_What about the weapon?_

“I’ll take it; see what modifications they’ve made to it.” He replied to Onslaught and put his own gun back into his holster under his jacket. “We had better go, before someone discovers us.”

_What of the body?_

“We can leave it here, and he should be found shortly.”

_The General will be aware an agent of his was killed, that could complicate things._

“Perhaps, better than him knowing that we’re bringing in the Flash. At least, once he agrees.” Kyle grabbed the gun and held onto it as the liquid metal of Onslaught’s form seeped out from his skin and encased him in its silvery armour, feeling himself drift backwards. Onslaught opened his eyes and levitated upwards, beginning the journey back to the lake house.

As he skimmed across the glass-like surface of a remote creek, Onslaught let the armour retract from his skin to his waist. Floating above the water, he stripped off his jacket and t-shirt, bundling the murder weapon up and tossing it down. He manipulated the bundle’s density, forcing it to the bottom of the river. Onslaught could feel Kyle smirking at him, “Keeping you, and more importantly, me, safe is paramount. Getting caught is not an option.”

_Right, right. I loved that jacket though…Hey, uh, we should store that anti-Metahuman gun somewhere safe. That mountain over there looks good._

Onslaught looked up at the mountain Kyle indicated, “Very well.” He approached a crevice in the rock wall, just below the snow line and wedged the gun inside, covering it with loose rocks. “Satisfied?”

_Yeah, let’s go. Roy should be awake by now._

“Have you thought about what we should say to him?”

_About Oliver? Or about our plan?_

“Either. We will have to address both before long. The Oliver decision was the correct one, Kyle, we both know it. As for…well, it is as you said, they do not need to know.”

_Yeah. I guess you’re right._

Onslaught frowned, dropping slightly as he approached the lake house, hearing the bitterness in Kyle’s voice. “We will be reunited in the beyond if you wish it. But your life is here, you told me so yourself.” There was no response and Onslaught sighed, landing softly on the jetty. He walked towards the house, about to raise a hand in greeting when he saw Roy’s face disappeared from view. “I’ll give you control again; you seem to be adapt at putting the humans at ease.” He closed his eyes, letting the metal armour melt back into his tanned skin.

“Yeah, thanks.” Kyle muttered, opening the door to the house.

 

Did he really want to take it slow? Or was it more the fact that was _Eddie,_ the guy of his dreams! This wasn’t some random hunk at his mercy, this was the cop he had to work with every other day, the man he secretly loved, the one he had these mad, elaborate mind fantasies with; where they went places and talked and, yes, had hot passionate action. But that was in his mind…reality would probably be a lot different. And, besides, Barry didn’t want to screw up their first time together or to over-think it, or lose control and go all Flash mode on him. That could be…chaffing.

The computer beeped loudly and Barry broke away from the window, remembering where he was. He walked over to the printer, frowned at the results. “Huh. This can’t be right…” He looked at the sample again and shook his head. “Ah, maybe. I need some fresh air.” Barry muttered to himself, put the sheet down, and walked towards the stairs instead. He waited for the elevator to arrive, nodding at the police officers as they walked past, muttering “Thanks,” to the one holding the door for him.

“No problem, Barry.”

“Oh, Eddie!” The Metahuman turned to look at him, suddenly breathless. “Uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Garage?”

“Um, uh huh.” Barry replied, catching onto Eddie’s subtle gesture.

There was an awkward silence as the two traded glances and then looked away whenever their eyes connected. As the last person exited the elevator, Eddie smiled at him. “About last night, I had fun.”

“Oh! Yeah, me too, we should, uh…”

“Have dinner? My place? Seven?” Eddie replied somewhat aggressively, but raised a brow questioningly until Barry nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, sure, sounds great. Um.”

“Did you actually need to go to the parking lot, or?”

“No,” He admitted, shrugging. “You going out on patrol? Your car is there, right?”

“Yeah, just left something in the glove box.” Eddie gestured for him to go first as the doors opened. “Wow, it’s pretty empty out here, must be something going on.” He left the sentence hanging in the air, feeling his stomach clench as his eyes traced around Barry’s jaw, the slight stubble there giving his face an older look. The detective licked his lips covertly as the younger man turned his head, resisting the urge to just pin him against the nearest wall and kiss those smooth lips, lick that flesh beneath his ear, suck at those exposed collar bones…

“Eddie? Eddie?”

“Huh, oh, ah, what?”

“I said which one is your car; the maroon one or the blue one?”

“Uh, blue, the Ford.”

“Ah, nice.” He glanced at the cop, seeing his cheeks tinge red, Barry flicked his eyes south and smirked at the obvious bulge pressing out from Eddie’s suit pants. He hesitated, looking around as all thoughts of restraint flew away, and shoved the man against a nearby concrete pillar, grabbing him by the lapels and crushing their lips together. He could feel Eddie’s hands push under his shirt roughly, desperately, searching for his pale flesh, grunting against him as Barry rocked his hips against the cop’s, muffled moaning coming from them both as their hard cocks rubbed against each other through the confining fabric. Barry let his lips part at the request of Eddie’s insistent tongue, and felt a spark of electricity shoot across his skin as their tongues crossed for the first time. He dropped his own hands to Eddie’s belt, unbuckling it and reaching inside without warning to grasp the man’s large throbbing cock. 

“Ugh! Wait, wait, wait!” Eddie managed to push Barry back enough to speak, “Let’s, uh, let’s go to my car.”

“Good.” Barry grinned at him and grabbed the keys from the man’s pocket, enlisting another moan with the action. 

Eddie climbed into the back seat first, pushing CD cases onto the floor and shucking his jacket, opening the buttons on his shirt as Barry urged him to move faster. “I’m going, I’m going! Damn!”

The Flash smirked as he stripped off his shirt, unzipping his trousers enough to reveal a bulging cock barely held at bay by his tight fitting boxer briefs. He laid down on top of Eddie, moaning as their skin touched, feeling his stomach clench almost painfully, his mind buzzing, almost dizzy with the riskiness of what they were doing; under a police station, when any of their colleagues could return at any time. But that didn’t matter, not when Eddie grabbed his ass and started to pull him back and forth, grinding their cocks against each other. “Oh fuck yeah!” Barry groaned as his hands explored the well-built detective’s body, feeling the man do the same to him. The car was hot, their bodies sweat slick, but this only aided them as their cocks, now freed from underwear, pushed and slid together against each other, the two men groaning and moaning, kissing each other hard whenever Barry came close enough, Eddie pulling him higher to lick and suck and taste that smooth skin that had been driving him crazy. Barry fought to control his body, as much that he didn’t use his powers as just explode all over the cop’s hard abs. But he couldn’t last and after a moment where Eddie thrust his cock between Barry’s legs, licking a strip from his neck to his collarbone, the Metahuman grunted and began to shoot. “Oh fuck! I’m cumming!”

“Ah, yes! Cum for me Barry! That’s it, you sexy beast!” Eddie groaned as he reached down to jerk himself off, his hand joined by Barry’s. “Oh, yeah, uh, yes!” As Barry finished his orgasm, Eddie began to cum, his cream shooting up from behind Barry’s ass and landing on his back. “Uh, ugh, oh, yeah!”

Barry smiled at him and rested on his chest, energy levels low after the intensity of the sex. He could hear Eddie’s heart still hammering under him, the cop’s hands warm on his back, making small circles with his fingers. Barry smiled against his pecs and felt himself drift off.

Eddie didn’t let him sleep long and shook him awake after a few minutes. “Hey, Barry! Wake up, man, we need to get out of here, before someone comes.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Barry muttered, reluctantly sitting up and searching the confined space for his clothes. “Can you see my pants? Oh, there they are.”

Eddie laughed suddenly, “Damn, we need to sneak into the showers, you smell of sex and sweat! Gorgeous!”

Barry grinned, “Well, you’re pretty covered in cum yourself!”

“Ok, coast is clear. Let’s run for it.”

 

Barry looked up from the new results of the test and called out, “It’s open. Eddie! What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, brought you lunch, you know since we pretty much skipped the ‘dinner then sex’ part of this evening.” The cop smiled at him and held out a bag.

“Wow, thanks.” Barry took it and gestured at a free chair. “Sit down, we can share it, right?”

“Yeah, I got two sandwiches. You choose.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Barry pausing to take a drink, his eyes drawn towards the window. Eddie watched him and then nudged his leg gently. “You alright? You seem distracted.”

“Uh, sorry.” Barry blinked and looked at the detective. “Yeah, I guess so. There’s um, well, I have this friend-“

“Uh huh.”

“It’s not like that.” Barry protested as Eddie smirked at him, “He really is a friend. He’s asked for my help, in my, uh, official capacity.”

“You mean as a CSI?”

“Yeah. He has a little bit of a problem and was hoping I could, I don’t know, resolve it?” Barry bit his lip, choosing his words carefully as Eddie frowned at him. “It’s nothing illegal, by the way, it’s just, a bit of a grey area, I suppose. I’m not going to put myself in an awkward position, but…”

“It’s not something good is it?”

“He made a mistake, wants to fix it. A lot of people could get hurt if he doesn’t.” The Metahuman hesitated, but Eddie nodded for him to continue. “It, uh, well it’s a matter of national security.”

Eddie smiled for a moment, but the expression muted when he saw Barry was being serious. He shook his head, “What? Why would he need your help? I mean, you’re a good tech, but, wouldn’t he have more resources if he’s with the government?”

Barry stood up, putting the half-eaten sandwich down. “He doesn’t work for them anymore, I think the main reason for that is this, err, problem. He was hoping I could talk to Star Labs about it, you know, because they helped me after the accident and I’m still in contact with them.”

“Right.” Eddie scratched his chin absently, “So, can you tell me this guy’s name?”

Barry glanced at him, uncertain, before shrugging. “I guess, you already met him. Last night? At the bar?”

“Kyle, right?” He replied slowly, Barry nodded. “Are you going to help him?”

“I haven’t decided.” The Metahuman frowned, “What do you think I should do?”

“Huh, something that serious; it sounds dangerous, maybe you should leave it to the professionals. He looked like he could handle himself.” Eddie shook his head. “I don’t think you should do this, Barry, I, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Oh, thanks.” Barry smiled, cheeks warm. “Thanks for lunch too. Uh, I’m still interested in dinner tonight, by the way.”

“Great. I’ll see you after work.”

Barry watched the Detective leave, seeing him linger at the doorway, before looking back with a smile. He felt his stomach do backflips and grinned back. Eddie’s advice was sound, but he didn’t know the full details. If he had told the detective that he was the Flash, a Metahuman, would it have changed his answer? Barry wondered to himself, before pulling out his phone. “I’m in.”

 

Kyle felt his phone vibrate against his leg and he pulled it out, as Roy finished parking the car. He smiled as he saw Barry’s reply. “Excellent.”

_This will make our attack easier. What will you tell Roy?_

“I’m not sure yet,” He muttered to himself, “Hey, there you are.”

“Sorry, parking lot is nearly full. Is there something going on?” Roy asked as they entered the store, grabbing a basket in one hand.

“Hunting season for deer is about to begin. It’ll get pretty busy up here for the next week or so.” Kyle replied as he adjusted his sunglasses, smiling at the friendly clerk. “I can’t believe you actually ran out of milk and bread.”

“Sorry, a little busy with a top secret mission and all.” Roy replied wryly. “Oh and my exboy- uh, mentor, arriving suddenly didn’t exactly leave me time to do the shopping.”

“Yeah, odd one that. Him just turning up.” Kyle looked over the cereal choices as Roy glared at him. 

“I know you had something to do with it. No way he found me on his own.”

“Uh huh.”

“Fuck it.” He muttered, before turning to look directly at the Metahuman. “Was it you? Did you bring Oliver here?”

Kyle moistened his lips, pausing, then he replied simply. “Yeah. I did. He wanted to see you in exchange for helping me retrieve the Component. The mission went smoothly, I got it, and kept my end of the bargain.” He lowered his voice as a group of hunters pushed past. “Look, you told me a long time ago that you loved him. I’m guessing that’s still true, even if all that Arrow shit got in the way; he’s still the man you love.”

“I don’t.” Roy responded sharply, grabbing a loaf of bread and dropping it into the basket. “I don’t think I ever did, and even if I thought I did, he never felt the same way! And he’s never gonna feel that way!” 

Kyle watched him and sighed. “That’s not true, Roy, you don’t mean that. But,” He hesitated as the archer glared at him, thrusting the milk carton forcibly into his hands. “Maybe you got some closure out of this, get your mind clear.”

“Why would I need my mind to be clear?” Roy replied through gritted teeth, struggling to maintain his composure as they stood by the ice cream. “I’m fine, this was buried months ago.”

“Exactly; buried, not resolved.” Kyle shrugged, “Look, I know you left Starling for a reason, lots of reasons, but hiding here in the woods isn’t going to solve your problems. You’re a hero, Roy, you need to be out there fighting, not wasting your life, your talents, in a dying spy’s bolthole!”

Roy blinked and Kyle looked away, realising he said too much. “Wait, what did you say? Are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The Metahuman grimaced and muttered, “Fuck. I, look, this isn’t the place to talk about this. Let’s go back to the house and…Hey, it’s ok.” He reached out a finger to raise Roy’s chin, their eyes connecting as Kyle lowered his glasses a fraction. 

“Yeah. I…ok, let’s go.” Roy turned away, walking towards the cashier as Kyle waited behind.

_Slip of the tongue, Kyle? Or did you mean for that to happen? Another subtle manipulation?_

“Not this time, Onslaught.” Kyle replied mentally, “I got carried away, this is…”

_Fortunate. Saves us the time later, especially if we tell him the whole truth._

“No. We stick to the plan. Let him think that this is the last mission, making up for a bad choice before I go. We don’t need the extra complication, and if it doesn’t work-“

_It’ll work, Kyle! Have a little faith, my friend._

“Blind faith.” He frowned and started moving towards the entrance. “But you have a point, same as I do; Roy Harper, Arsenal, has a lot more to offer this world than looking good while chopping firewood.” He smiled to himself as he heard Onslaught’s deep chuckle echo in his mind. Aloud he said, “All paid for? Good, we need to talk about some stuff.”

“Understatement.” Roy muttered, but followed the Metahuman outside anyway.

 

“So, you’re dying-“

“We are not starting the conversation like that, Roy.” Kyle interrupted him, frowning.

“Why not? You wouldn’t talk about it in the car, you wouldn’t talk about it when we were putting away the groceries, what I am meant to say?” He responded, shuffling on the edge of the jetty, feet hanging above the water. Kyle sat down beside him and sighed.

“I wasn’t going to tell you; it seems a pattern with you.”

“What? That you keep disappearing? Or ‘dying’?” He made bunny ears with his fingers as he spoke the last word, but then shook his head. “How bad is it? What is it?”

“Last year, I told you that Onslaught and I were one being.” He began, staring out at the lake. “That’s only part of it. When I met you in Starling City that time, I was convinced that I was losing myself, my mind fractured, the strain was simply too much. I’m in constant pain; imagine if there were two people trapped inside one body, each pulling away from the other.”

“That…sounds agonising.” Roy frowned at him, “Is there a cure, or something?”

“Not quite, we are bonded on the atomic level.” Kyle shook his head slowly as he tried to explain. “But I have been able to slow the separation somewhat; there’s a nano-tech injection I take each day. It, uh, it, you know it doesn’t matter.” He dismissed it with a wave as Roy stared at him confused. “I have a mission to complete: find the final Component and destroy the weapon forever. Nothing else matters.”

“And then?”

_Careful_ Onslaught warned him as the Metahuman smiled softly.

“I’m not sure, but we need to finish what I started, I can’t let the weapon be used.” He replied firmly. “I, uh, I’ve managed to convince Barry to join us. We’re gonna need him to grab the Key if we’re going to avoid a major battle with the General’s forces.”

“Hmm. Did you have to use our leverage?”

“No. Thankfully not, it might be useful later.”

“Should I be worried about how casual you are about manipulating people?” Roy asked with a half-grin. He shook his head as Kyle opened his mouth to answer. “No, don’t answer that. You’re a spy, even if you are retired, I guess it’s just part of the package.”

“What, being able to manipulate gravity isn’t enough?”

“For some people,” The archer grew silent. “Are you sure about this? That you really are dying?”

“If I stop taking the medicine, I’ll be dead in days: simple. As for the rest, this is the one thing I can do, the one thing I _must_ do.” The Metahuman clenched his fist and Roy blinked as the water in front of them rose into a spire, flaring at the top. He glanced at Kyle, seeing a determination in his eyes that sent a chill across his skin.

“Ok, I get that.” He replied, “We do the mission, and then we can figure out what’s next.”

“No. Once I’m done, we part ways.”

“Again? You always seem to keep finding me though.” 

Kyle opened his hand and the water splashed back down into the lake. “I know, but you are in my house, after all.”

Roy stood up abruptly, turning away from him. “I’m not going back to Starling, Kyle. Oliver is…I’m not ready for that.”

The Metahuman let him walk away, waiting until his footsteps faded from his hearing. “Not yet, but you will be.” He whispered softly to the cool afternoon air. “Once I force you and Oliver together again, you will see past your petty differences.” He could sense Onslaught smile and push his influence forward, enveloping him in the silver shroud, surrendering to the Metahuman’s embrace. “Is that a cunning plan I feel you devising, Kyle? The archer is right, you are quite manipulative!”

_I do what I must, Roy shouldn’t wait out the best years of his life here. Don’t you agree?_ He added as an afterthought.

“I’m not sure letting him be captured is the best idea you’ve ever had…” 

_Oliver **will** come for him._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know this story has been waiting an update for years, but the sad fact is that is one story I'll never finish. But it is one that was planned out relatively extensively, so, I'm putting the remaining chapter plans and snippets of dialogue here and closing the story and series out. Thank you to those who read this work and I'm sorry for not finishing the writing of it. I may return to the Arrowverse in the future, but my main focus right now is to finish my Teen Wolf fics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the plan, O/K refers to both Onslaught and Kyle.

There’s a subplot to the retrieval of the weapon: the Sun Killer is in fact a portal generator, a construct that will allow O/K to go home, but he thinks that Roy wouldn’t help him since it would mean the destruction of Kyle’s physical body: his conscious mind would meld tighter with Onslaught and together they would return to his empire in the far away stars, never to be seen again...

 

 **Chapter Seven:** Tension increase slightly: The General arrives and makes a beeline for Star Labs where he discovers the theft. He demands that the culprits be caught at once, even going so far as to ask for the Flash’s help in getting them. As he leaves, Barry is torn between finding the truth and wanting to believe that his new friends aren’t responsible. 

The General gets attacked by Onslaught on his way back, convey flipped over and burning as the Flash arrives on scene. Confrontation between O/K and Barry with Onslaught revealing what the General is really after. During the argument, the General pulls out a doom ball and O/K shields Barry as the soldiers ran for it. Barry stops O/K from pursuing them. ‘Fine but you’re coming with me.’ 

Barry joins O/K and Roy at the lake-house for some late night planning and a little fun, maybe?

 

 **Chapter Eight:** Find the Starling City part and return it to O/K. This involves a square off between ATOM and Onslaught, with the metahuman deploying his ARGUS weapon against ATOM, taking him out and fulfilling that part of the lore. Oliver seeks out Roy but O/K stops him before he gets to the lake-house, he doesn’t want Oliver to know where their HQ is. Instead he brings Roy to meet him, heightening gravity around Oliver until he’s frozen to the one spot. Roy  & Oliver have their moment by the shore.

 

 **Chapter Nine:** O/K assembles the three parts of the weapon, all that’s left is the final piece, the one that the General has. Alarms go off in General’s office signalling a build-up of the very particular energy the portal generates, measured from satellites in orbit (Onslaught can shield it enough to hide most of the output) and he tries to find the weapon. O/K and Roy go to Central City to enlist Barry’s help again. Onslaught arrives exactly as Barry is getting it on with Eddie, Barry being surprisingly strong is getting his way, and Eddie kinda likes it! Roy doesn’t realise that and breaks in thinking to rescue the hunky cop. O/K follows him in for awkwardness and conversation.

 

 **Chapter Ten:** General distracts Onslaught while using bait to draw Barry away. Special Forces drop in and grab Eddie and Roy when they’re vulnerable. General now has two people to trade with for the rest of the Sun Killer. O/K and Flash scope out the base, Barry suggesting they get Oliver and his League assets, but O/K rules that out: ‘They’re our guys, we get them out…but maybe your steel-plated muscle man can help!’ Barry rolls his eyes but agrees to bring Girder back and together the group begins to assault the base.

Inside Roy and Eddie are restrained while the General rants and raves about the grave threat metahumans cause and how they have to be defeated, they must! Roy argues with him, about how ARGUS used and tested Onslaught, turning him into the powerhouse metahuman he is. Eddie just looks on and tries not to think about how totally screwed they are…

 

 **Chapter Eleven (Finale):** O/K, Flash and Girder bust into the base, smashing guards aside as Girder breaks down doors, him and O/K just seeming to click. Barry looking at them like, ‘Seriously? You’re flirting now?’ But they eventually crash through a reinforced door to find the General and Roy  & Eddie! The General pulls out his doom bombs and they all duck for cover except Onslaught who reveals his true power, ripping the key (the General’s part) from his neck, halting the bomb in mid-air, and pulling out the other parts of the weapon, the core emerging from its grey metallic prison to hover in the air. The key fits perfectly into the core and Onslaught grins under his metal helm, shouting aloud:

‘Behold! My search for Eternity has ended.’

‘No!’ The General cries out as they all look to where Onslaught fits the pieces together. The key spinning solely in the air as he brings the other two pieces of the cylinder together. There’s a boom and then the air shimmers around him, ripping apart like plastic in a fire. On the other side is a whirling maelstrom of stars and darkness. They watch open-mouthed as Onslaught reaches a hand through. As he makes to pull the glowing white object through the portal, the General’s men arrive and begin firing. A stray bullet makes it through Girder’s barrier and grazes Onslaught’s arm. 

His concentration broken, he pulls back, Roy catching a glimpse of what was on the other side; the distant realm of Eternity, Onslaught’s home; gleaming pillars of white light, figures vaguely human staring at the fractured portal, one standing out in particular. The being that had reached out a hand to bring Onslaught through the portal, Roy could have sworn that the man-if it was even male- had been smiling, a warm open smile that seemed like…home. And then, a look of loss that spread across the other figures. Roy doesn’t even acknowledge the battle raging around him, staring at the figures until they slowly dim. All but the prominent figure, it waits, watching, hoping… Roy stares at it until the portal collapses and the weapon shatters with the strain. O/K deals with the men as the General has ran away after Onslaught released the gravity field, catching the doom bomb as it fell, a flicker of strange energy and it stopped ticking. 

He turned to see the others watching him, Barry having freed them and reunited with the cop. “I’m sorry for the deception, but it was the only way I could go home.”

‘What about Kyle?’ Roy asks him.

O/K looks away before shrugging off Roy’s question, ‘It had to be done: my power here is but a fragment of what I am truly capable of. I simply wanted to feel whole again. I am trapped here, it seems.’ He looks at the broken remains of the weapon. ‘But the General, he remains threat. He will seek our death. We must find him.’

Do they? Or do they simply return to the lake-house for a night of celebration and revelry? 

 

**Epilogue**

On the clearest night yet, he stood with head tilted back and stared upwards into the arc of stars rolling across the sky; the brilliance of the Milky Way resplendent in its unpolluted glory. O/K sighed deeply, his heart heavy; the way home was out there, far away and out of his reach. He let his head fall back to level ground and found Girder watching him. 

Later…

‘I must ask you, release him.’ O/K nods at where Girder is resting gingerly on Roy’s porch, trying not to break the wooden railings under him, or the glass bottle of beer in his hand. Barry frowns for a moment, then speaks.

‘Why? What are you going to do with him?’

‘I…’ His words faltered as Girder turned to look at him, ‘I like him.’ And that was it, three simple words and Barry finally understood why Roy admired this metahuman so much. There was no long winded explanations or mysteries when it came to things like this. He felt a smile tug at his lips and nodded once.

‘Sure, I can do that.’

Sometime later… 

Barry turned to O/K and nodded up at the vastness of the cosmos laid bare before them; the stars twinkling in a rush of brilliant lights. There were no city lights out here, and the sky was finally able to reveal its treasures. ‘Your world must be something else.’

‘It is. Glory and peace.’ O/K sighed in a mix of sorrow and pride. ‘Someday I will return, and they will be waiting for me. But now I am here.’

Roy had been watching and listening to them. ‘Who was he? The man, uh, being, you reached out to. Your father? Your ruler?’

O/K was silent for a while as his kaleidoscope eyes gazed upwards to the star covered sky, his home world somewhere out beyond the expanse of space. Then he lowered his eyes and nodded. ‘Mine. He was mine, he has been waiting for my return for eons beyond counting. I have travelled the stars and the galaxies for so long I have forgotten what drove me out. It was happenchance that I was there when the particle accelerator exploded. And miraculous that I ended up in a human body, in this body.’ He grinned at them, looking down at his hands. ‘For that I am glad.’

There was silence in the cabin as they all digested this new information. Girder was staring at him in a sort of awe, while Barry frowned as he thought about the math of it all. Roy was the first to shrug it off, just another quirk to add to their group. Eddie looked as though he didn’t even want to think about it, opening his mouth to speak several times before closing it.

At the end, the couples leave; Barry and Eddie returning to Central City, O/K and Girder saying they need to find they need to find ‘the Source.’ Roy watches them go, until once again he’s alone on the shores of the lake. But this time is different, Oliver is no longer an anchor in his heart and he looks across the water, feeling a smile spread across his face. There was something…right about where he was right now. It felt…like home. 

**The End.**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the first part of the continuation to my series "The Other Roy Harper" I've been planning this story for a while now and I hope you enjoy the rest of it. There's going to be a bit of a shake-up when it comes to pacing, but it's going to be an epic ride!


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